Dragon's Blood
by NFS LOVER
Summary: The legendary Jormung Tribe massacred for association with dragons. Their legacy left to two survivors who have gone into hiding, constantly hunted down by the rest of the Archipelago until they are wiped from existence. Their only hope? A chance encounter with a blue-eyed Valkyrie who might just be the key in restoring their once great people.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just an idea rummaging through my head. Not sure how far it will go considering I have two other stories that are on hiatus. But, let's see what the general reaction is.**

 _000_

It was the start of new day on Changewing Isle. Home to a rather elusive and hostile dragon species, Vikings and others did their best to avoid the island at all costs. No one wanted the risk of being of being dissolved alive by the dragons' potent acid. After being hunted for said acid, and trophies, most dragons like Changewings had taken on a massive disliking to all humans.

"Come on, bud. Let's see what the day has in store for us."

Well, that is for anyone who didn't have their eyes.

On the island's highest peak, at the opening of a cave, was a young man, auburn hair and dressed in black leather, standing next to the most elusive, dangerous and surprisingly friendly dragons of the Viking Age, the Night Fury.

 _"What did you have in mind for today?"_

"We need to restock on food. And I need more Gronckle iron for the forge down below."

 _"Ugh, well you can handle that last part on your own. Don't worry, though. I'll be in the area in case something goes wrong. Which with you, is always the case."_

The young man scoffed, "Thanks for nothing you useless reptile." The Night Fury promptly whacked him on the back of his head with his tail, taking great amusement in watching the young man face plant on the ledge's hard surface.

 _"We're never going to get started if you don't stop slacking off."_

"Well that's ironic." The Night Fury watched his human get up and dust himself off. "Considering everything in the shelter required me building it."

 _"I'm sorry, who helped you haul all that stuff up here?"_

"I hope you're not forgetting the blood of my ancestors grants me your above average strength and endurance?"

 _"But not wings."_

"Okay, let's not delve into this argument again. Like I said, we need to get working on food. Come on, Toothless." And with that, the Night Fury lowered himself as his human hopped onto the saddle adorning his back, and leaped into the early morning sky.

 _"So Hiccup, what are you feeling today?"_

"Some cod and salmon would be great. Will need a few boars as well. And I got to check up on my garden too." However, that could wait. The first thing on both of their minds was their morning flight, where they could just stretch out the few lazy muscles from their sleep and enjoy the rays of the early morning sun. I guess that was one of the benefits of running south and-

Hiccup frowned. Guess he could never escape the fact that he'd be running for all his life. At least whenever they found him or Toothless. No, he couldn't think like that. He'd been living on this island for the last six months. If they would have found him, they'd have done so a while back. At least it helped having the residential dragons warn him if Vikings, or any human for that matter, was on the horizon. Enough time for him and Toothless to quickly dive back into the safety of their cave.

 _"Hiccup, stop thinking about the past."_

His best friend's voice brought him back to reality. It was only then that he realized he was tearing up, but luck enough that the cold air and blazing speed they flew at were washing away the tears faster than they could fall. "I'm sorry bud, b-but I..." he trailed off. A year of being on the run from Dragon Hunters and Vikings alike had taken its toll on him. Ever since the massacre of his people a year ago, the Archipelago was speeding up efforts in hunting down the lone two survivors of that tribe. "I can't stop thinking if they found him."

How long had it been since he'd seen him? He could never forget the look of hatred on his face. The harsh words he said to him before he went his own way. Away from the fire and ruin. Away from their legacy. All because of him.

 _"Believe it or not, I'm more concerned about what would happen to the ones that stumble upon him. You know he'll never leave a witness."_

"Yeah." Hiccup sighed. "Still, sometimes I wonder about him." Hiccup looked out to the horizon. There really was no way of tracking him. Not unless he wanted to be found. And he made damn well sure that Hiccup never came after him. Toothless glanced back at him in worry. It had been a year since they last saw him. But considered there were wanted posters for two 'demons' still out there, that kept his hopes up.

 _"Come on Hiccup, let's go catch that fish."_ Toothless smiled suddenly, before diving straight down, and it wasn't long until his best friend's shrieks of surprise turned into laughter right before they dove beneath the water's surface.

000

It wasn't until the moon was at its highest point in the sky, when their boat touched the island's shore, several main clambering out into the low tidal waves to push the boat the rest of the way up the sand, ensuring the waves won't drag it back out.

"You're sure this is where he is?" A feminine voice rang out. She was the last to get disembark, walking ahead; her blue diamond eyes scrutinizing every bit of treeline that was visible to her. Looking for the slightest hint of movement that could signal any dragon.

"Well Ms. Hofferson, based on personally questioning fishermen, traders and other hunters, there have been sightings of one of the men that fit the description. And considering these reports all came from neighboring islands, he must be living on an island in between them."

"It was a good assumption to come to Changewing Island then, Eret." She turned to face him. "An island crawling with invisible dragons that can easily kill you is a good hiding spot for someone who's a friend of dragons."

"Any idea what dragon he's supposed to be riding?" He asked, as the rest of his men gathered by them.

"Well, the only description was a dragon as black as night and the familiar high pitched sound when he escaped. You want to take a guess?"

"A Night Fury. This isn't going to be easy you know."

"Isn't that why you showed up on our island?" She asked, flashing him a smirk.

"Well, when tales of a Valkyrie slaying a Monstrous Nightmare at just fifteen, and goes on to be Berk's most fearsome warrior, well, colour me intrigued. Besides, it was a favour for a favour. We help Berk take down some dragons for a week, and you help us on this bounty."

"Which still doesn't explain to me why you'd need _my_ help when you have an entire crew to help take down this guy." She gestured to the rest of his men, who were preparing their weapons.

"We're trappers, Astrid. And as much as I'd like to wrangle down that Night Fury myself, I can't do it without an able warrior like you. You're the only one here with true fighting experience and skills against dragons. And from what I saw back on Berk, you can definitely hold your own against any dragon." Astrid beamed at his compliments. Sure she got enough of them back on Berk. Especially since her skills marked her as the favourite of becoming Berk's next General. But it was nice to hear such praise from an outsider, who in some way, was in the same business as her.

"Alright then, Eret, ready your men up. I want to talk to them before we do this."

"Alright lads, get in close! Ms. Hofferson wants to give us a little encouragement before we head into that." He pointed to the treeline, with his men knowing that they'd might not survive this capture attempt. It was almost amusing watching his crew step up, bumping into each other and trying not to accidentally chop someone's limb off. It was clear that none of them had any experience in capturing a human before. And one from a fabled tribe at that.

"Alright, I know most if not all of you have no experience in capturing a Viking. A supposed dragon-eyed, and extremely dangerous Viking at that. My best and honest advice to you all, is to do the exact same thing when hunting a dragon. That's the only experience you have, but it's experience nonetheless. But don't let the fact that he appears Viking get the better of you. As per the legends of this tribe, people like him are much stronger than a regular Viking. His senses are more sensitive than ours, which means he'll hear and smell you coming from a distance. He's like a dragon in that sense. Considering he's on the run, he won't want to engage any of you. Our best chance is to corner him and tackle him from there."

"What about his dragon?" Someone from the crew asked.

"If his dragon does intervene, try and capture it as well. I know he supposedly has the Night Fury," murmurs and whimpers were heard amongst the crew. Astrid raised her eyebrows at Eret, who shrugged apologetically. "If you can't capture the Night Fury, or even fight it, let me handle it. And under no circumstances do any of you get in my way. Is that clear?" The entire crew nodded.

"Good. Now let's get that Jormung."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just an idea rummaging through my head.**

 _000_

Luckily for Astrid and the Trappers, most Changewings were visible at night because they were resting. They were all competent enough to keep their distance from the sleeping beasts and watch for any rocks they might accidentally kick or twigs they might step on. They had all split up into groups, except for Astrid, who was adamant about tracking the Jormung on her own. That way she wouldn't have to worry about someone else messing up or getting in her way.

But now that she was alone, she could really analyze the situation from her own perspective. She understood why the Archipelago hunted the Jormung. A tribe that only lived alongside the winged beasts, but also bore their eyes, and certain physical attributes. But all that changed when word of their demise at the hands of unknown man spread throughout the entirety of the Archipelago. She was sure the news even reached the far colonies out on the continent. What could the Jormung have done to bring the God's wrath on them? But then again, wasn't it the Gods who made them the way they were and were just trying to right a wrong? She was not a superstitious person, but an entire tribe couldn't be wiped out in a single day, especially when they had the aid of dragons. The Berserkers, the most powerful armada in the Archipelago weren't even capable of that kind destruction.

"Wait a minute..." She stopped her train of thought when she noticed leaves on the ground. Clearly placed to hide something. She checked her surroundings, scanning the foliage as much as her eyes could. When she was sure there was no one there, she crept forward, lowered down, and brushed some of the leaves away, revealing a thin string of rope. She followed the rope's source and found it holding an arrow in place, which was connected to a pretty sophisticated release. She smiled.

Clearly she was on the right path. "So if he was here then...Ah ha." She found footprints leading away from the trap. She unsheathed her axe and began following the tracks at a slow pace. This also brought on another realization. She was probably a few hundred yards away from coming face to face with a Jormung. She didn't know what to expect. They were a secretive tribe. Heck, most if not all Vikings didn't even know where they lived. But now, coming face to face with a Viking, after surviving the apparent massacre he went through, his instinct would be to run or to fight her.

This was going to be her biggest fight yet. And she smiled at the thought.

It was only another few minutes before she heard humming coming through a few bushes. She slowed her breathing, gripped her axe, and carefully trodded the small distance between her and the source of the humming. She found an opening between the vegetation, and came upon a clearing, where there was a single person in the centre, attending to a garden of sorts. It appeared that he had yet not noticed her.

She smiled inwardly. She closed the distance very slowly. If he had any indication of her presence, he hadn't shown it yet. Either he was baiting her into a trap, or hadn't noticed at all. It was only when she was a mere twenty steps away did his body go completely rigid, dropping the plant he was handling and turning his head slightly in her direction, that she decided to make herself known.

"No sudden movements, Jormung." She adjusted her stance, preparing for him charge her, or run away.

"How were you able to get past the dragons?" His voice wasn't at all what she was expecting it to be. She was expecting low, deep growls and broken vocabulary, not a nasally, normal sounding voice.

"Nothing's hard when you know what you're going up against." He scoffed.

"Yeah, nothing's hard when you can sneak past a bunch of sleeping dragons, who are not invisible. Pretty clever. Well then, aren't you going to kill me now?"

"Not why I'm here. Just closing out a favour."

"Your friends sent you here alone?"

"Nope. They're surrounding you now as we speak."

It was then Hiccup focused his hearing; the hushed whispers and quick steps around him. He really should have paid attention in his combat class. "While they're doing that, how about you turn around and face me." Now that stumped him. Normally when people had him cornered, they'd try and kill him instead of striking a conversation with him. But this girl, she... she was different.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You won't be terrified by my face?"

"I stared down a Whispering Death before I chased it out of my village when I was seventeen. Believe me when I say nothing scares me that easily."

She watched him slowly turn, lowering his arms. It might have been the dead of night, but she couldn't help the breath she took in when her eyes met his. It was as the legends said. Dragon eyes. Slits instead of the normal round pupil of a human being. His rich green iris' highlighting the slits were almost breath-taking. But what really surprised her was the fear and uncertainty she saw in them.

"Aren't you going to tell me how much of a monster or demon I look like?" He asked. He'd heard worse when he was a kid. A hyper-energetic mind in a six year old kid who'd bonded with an equally hyperactive Night Fury brought ground for unintended adventures. Travelling to random miles away from the safety of his undiscovered home without warning his elders. In fact, it was during one of his adventures where he learned the hard way of what the Archipelago thought of his kind. Stumbling upon a village on an island, he was excited to meet the people and speak to them and learn about their history. All that changed when they laid their eyes on his face. They called him horrid names and chased him out of their village with swords and maces, threatening to kill him if he ever showed up. It was then that he learned that he would never be accepted anywhere.

"Well? Say something. Or are you just going to gawk at the freak?" He was surprised she didn't have more of a reaction.

"She doesn't need to answer you." A new voice said, but one she was familiar with. Eret, along with his men, stepped out of the undergrowth, weapons in hand. "Besides, if you ask me, I think the world can do without creatures like you."

"Creatures like me?" Hiccup scoffed, shaking his head. "Do I have wings?" He asked, looking around to every single Viking there. His eyes landing on Astrid. "Does it look like I have scales, from what you all can see? On my hands?" He raised his hands. "What about my face? Am I hunted down just because of my eyes? Just because of my ability to look beyond what you see in dragons. That I don't see them as the mindless, blood-thirsty beasts you all peg them for? Or is it just because we don't involve ourselves in your wars against them?"

"Oh but you do." He looked at Astrid. "Don't think we haven't heard the tales of the Jormung fighting side-by-side with dragons _against_ regular Vikings like us. Showing up in times of raids and protecting the very beasts that are making off with storehouses of food and livestock! The Jormung have done nothing to help us when they had the means to! As far as the Archipelago's concerned, it will sleep soundly at night knowing they're aren't any Jormung left."

He probably shouldn't have expected anything different coming out of her mouth. It wasn't like he hadn't heard the same, ignorant remarks from others. But just for a second he thought that she... It didn't matter. Not anymore.

"So with everyone here now, what do you plan to do with me?"

"There's a bounty on you and your friend's head and we're here to collect it." Eret said as he stepped closer. "I think it's a good time to mention that you're worth more alive than a corpse. So I suggest you come quietly."

"Quiet has never been my strong suit." Hiccup smiled as he unhinged a his hilt from his hip, clicking a button and watching Inferno come to light. His potential captors gasped and took a few steps back. None had ever gazed upon a weapon like that. A sword that burned with dragon's fire. Astrid, however, wouldn't be intimidated. She walked ahead, closing the distance between them, never once taking her gaze off his as she spoke.

"Scare tactics won't work against me. Especially from someone who's outnumbered." She stopped a few yards in front of him. She was curious as to why he was smirking, though.

"Outnumbered, yes. But not outgunned." At that exact moment, a Changewing revealed itself behind him. As soon as she saw the dragon, she jumped back, getting into a fighting stance. The sound of the trappers' yells and cries caught her attention and when she glanced to see what was happening, she saw other Changelings coming out of the undergrowth from where they were previously camouflaged.

"You think these dragons will be enough?" As soon as she spoke those words was when she heard it. The high-pitched whistle getting closer before a black shape landed besides the Jormung. A jet black dragon with eyes that could kill if they could. Claws unsheathed and teeth bared, his vicious snarl almost made our blood curdle. Almost.

"I suggest if you all want to live, you leave now. If not, I can only do so much in stopping these dragons from maiming all of you. If you're that lucky."

The sight before her did little to shake her resolve. She was going to capture that Jormung and be the first one to accomplish such a feat. And so, she planted her foot, raised her ax and charged. And all Hell broke loose. Most trappers reached for their darts, looking to incapacitate the dragons before they could get close. Eret followed Astrid's lead, watching in amazement as the fierce blonde charge the Jormung _and_ his Night Fury. He saw the shock on the Jormung's face. Even the Night Fury seemed bewildered at her actions. Clearly it never faced any Viking willing to fight it. But just as quickly the momentary shock came, it left the Night Fury's features and he snarled, preparing to pounce. While running, he grabbed his bolas, secured on his waist, and flung them at the Night Fury.

Hiccup watched as Toothless' snout was clamped shut by the bola. His immediate reaction was to run to his dragon can cut them off, but Astrid had already made her way past him, sliding beneath Toothless' attempted tail swipe, before jumping and coming in for a strike. He barely avoided the ax that was millimetres from slicing him in half. Rolling out of the way and getting back up to his feet, he met her eyes. "What happened to taking me in alive?"

"You could have just surrendered." She said before charging him again. This time he raised Inferno and parried her attack, but she didn't hold back. What he didn't realize was that she was studying his evasion. Which direction he intended to evade and what angle he parried her attack at, searching for any opening to stun him. Just when she thought she saw an opening, she heard a roar coming towards her. Pushing him off with her ax, she rolled out of the way of a charging Night Fury, who still had his muzzle shut.

"Toothless, come here!" She heard him yell, before looking to see the two running towards each other.

No. They were not escaping this fight. Just as they were about to meet, she threw her ax at the ground between them, momentarily halting them, before tackling the Jormung to the ground. She tried to land punches on his face, but he was too quick in bringing his hands up. She tried hurting them, tried pulling them apart but none of her effort seemed to have any effect. She silently cursed his increased strength and immunity to her attacks. Instead, she hopped off, knowing that she wouldn't be able to make any progress when they were both on the ground. While he was recovering from her attack, she looked around. The trappers had the upper hand. Many of the Changewings were on the ground, out cold, multiple darts adorning their bodies.

It was when she saw a purple hue out of the corner of her eye, she jumped out of the way. Looking at the charred spot she was previously in, she looked and saw the Night Fury, remains of the bola around its feet and near her ax. So the dragon was smart enough to use her ax to cut the ropes. But by then it was too late. "I got him!" She looked over at Eret who had the Jormung sort of pinned under his entire weight. He needn't have to worry since the rest of his men arrived at his side with their weapons drawn on their prisoner. She gazed back at the Night Fury. From what she'd witness, there was no way the dragon would risk its master's life.

"Get out of here bud!" She looked over at the Jormung, and then back at the dragon. "Go on get out of here! Or they'll capture you too!" She could only assume Eret's men were readying more darts. She heard the dragon's croon, saw it look around frantically before spreading its wings and taking off into the night sky, disappearing from sight. She walked over to her ax, pulling it out of the ground and sheathing it in its holster on her back. Eret had managed to snap some chains on the Jormung's wrists before pushing him forwards.

"Well lads. We did it. Only one left." His men cheered their victory. There'd certainly be celebratory drinking on the ship tonight. She smiled at the thought. Once again, she had brought honour and respect to her name and her tribe.

"It's just a shame we weren't able to capture the Night Fury." She said, as she grabbed a hold of the Jormung's arm and began leading him back to the boats.

"No we didn't, but I'm sure that you well know that that there's a good chance we'll see that Night Fury again."

"And preferably not alone. If it brings the other one, then we can finally put an end to this hunt."

"If only you knew the truth." The Jormung muttered under his breath.

 _000_

Toothless watched them depart the island's shores. The last thing he wanted to do was abandon Hiccup, but being captured together would have been pointless. He had to listen to Hiccup's words. But there was no way he could take down a fleet of three ships. Not by himself.

He needed to get help. He needed to find him.

He just didn't know if he'd be willing to help Hiccup after all this time.


	3. Chapter 3

_000_

Toothless kept a safe distance from the Terrible Terror he was following. He wasn't too concerned on being noticed. Terrors were known for their short attention spans and lack of awareness to their surroundings. After Hiccup had been captured, he did a once over of the island, looking for said dragon. He counted himself lucky being above the spot the Terror broke through the trees and flew into the open seas. And he had a pretty good assumption of where the Terror was going. More specifically. To whom he was going to.

He had followed the Terror all night and well into the early hours of the morning, just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. Toothless began getting concerned. Had he made a mistake? Had he followed the wrong Terror from the island? He was flying in the opposite direction of the people who captured Hiccup. And he had no idea where they were taking him. He was putting all his faith into him. Hoping he'd have a change of heart just this once. Well, considering what he was up to this entire time, Toothless had a feeling he wouldn't refused.

The sun was halfway up in the sky when he spotted an island in the distance. He hadn't come across any major Viking settlements or islands recently. And this island, which looked no bigger than Changewing Isle, even as he approached, did not even seem to be on the many maps that he and Hiccup charted over their travels.

 _"He really didn't want anyone finding him."_

As the terror dove for the island, he noticed a small camp in the centre of the island, with massive holes surrounding the main tent. Toothless wouldn't wait for him. Time was the utmost importance. And Hiccup was running out of it every minute. He dove straight for the camp, the impact sending up dust and the tent's entrance. He waited, seeing if he'd come out of his tent and talk. If not, he was going to burn his home down.

 _"I know you're here!"_ He growled, looking around and keeping an eye on the Whispering Death holes. Which he's all too familiar with. _"Come on out or burn everything!"_ He fired a warning shot at the fire-pit in the centre of the camp. He felt the ground rumble underneath him. Toothless felt the tremors directed to one hole, before a massive Whispering Death emerged from the hole, body littered with scars, and that dead stare in its eyes. Toothless only huffed in annoyance. _"Hello Bladewing."_

 _"You're not supposed to be here."_ The dragon said before turning away to examine the damage.

 _"It wasn't my choice. Look, Hiccup's been captured by dragon trappers. I need your and his help-"_

 _"You know damn well that he_ and _I want nothing to do with him."_ His ears flattened against his head at the tone.

 _"Bladewing, please! You have to listen to reason!"_ The dragon stilled, and Toothless felt the air drain out of the area.

 _"Listen to reason?"_ Bladewing turned around. Toothless was on alert. Bladewing was a warrior dragon before and during the massacre. He himself mentored Toothless on fighting. Facing the Whispering Death was the last thing he wanted to do on this mission for aid. _"If you remember,_ his _reason did this to me!_ _"_ He spread his body, and moved his head from side to side, gesturing to the scars. _"We were the only dragons to survive that day. All the others were butchered!"_

 _"I know! I know! I was there."_

 _"Then you very well know why we won't help."_

Toothless took a deep breath in, ears perking when he heard footsteps. "Well, well, isn't this a surprise." He looked to see the only other surviving Jormung, boar slung over his shoulder and javelin in hand. His six-foot four stature was still as intimidating the last time he saw him. His cold, blue eyes were another memory of the last time they saw each other.

 _"Ripper."_ He didn't realize he'd held his breath. He watched his former friend walk to the slightly charred table by the fire-pit, smirking as he placed the boar on it.

"If you were hungry you could have just waited you know. Or fish for yourself." He turned around, leaning back against the table and folding his arms. "What do you want?"

 _"Hiccup's been captured. I can't get him back on my own. I need your help."_

"Yeah... I'm not interested." He said, pulling out his dagger, turning around and proceeding to gut and clean the boar. Toothless on the other hand, held a disbelieving stare.

 _"Just like that?"_

"Were you expecting me to jump onto Bladewing and just rush in there?" He asked as he slit the belly of the boar in one clean motion and began to pull the innards out.

 _"No, I wasn't. But he's still your blood-brother, Ripper. You two were thick as thieves back then."_

"That was before he fucked everything up. Forgive me if I'm not the least bit concerned in him losing his head."

 _"I wasn't. Because you were going to go after him regardless of me asking for help, weren't you."_ Ripper stilled his actions, finally glancing in Toothless' direction. _"How do you think I found you? I'm not a tracking dragon by any means. I followed the Terror that you sent to Changewing Isle."_

"I'll give you points for creativity Toothless."

 _"Cut the dragon shit with me, Ripper. I notice the dragons that visit. Different, seemingly random Terrors showing up for a day or two and then leaving...all in the same direction? It could only be you sending them. To keep tabs on Hiccup."_ Ripper reached for a rag to wipe the blood of his hands, briefly glancing at one of the larger holes in his camp. _"Those dragons you sent was your way of making sure Hiccup was never in trouble, and always safe."_ Ripper finally turned his full attention to Toothless. _"You can continue lying to yourself about how you don't care about him after the massacre, that you wished he died instead of Laia, but the truth is, you'll always be his big brother. You'll always be his best friend."_

"Yeah, I said those things. And I meant every single word, Toothless. And you're wrong about those dragons." Ripper said as he began walking towards Toothless. "They were not to make sure he was safe. I sent them to update me on his location every few weeks. I sent them to make sure I knew where he was so that I could be somewhere far, far away from him." He was nose-to-nose with Toothless now. "Where I make home, depends on where you two are. The farther you move in the opposite direction, the better. The closer? I just pack and head somewhere else. I never want anything do with him again. If you ask me, fate's finally caught up to him." Ripper turned his back on the Night Fury, walking back to the table.

Toothless couldn't believe what he just heard. He never suspected Ripper's hatred to run this deep. But he wasn't going to give up. There was one more tactic he could try. Bladewing might kill him for it but, he had no other option. _"Laia would be beyond disappointed in the man you've become."_ Ripper halted in his tracks and Bladewing was immediately face to face with Toothless, but he barely flinched.

 _"Don't you DARE bring her name into this!"_

 _"But it's true isn't it. What she loved about you was your compassion and love for others. Especially for Hiccup! She saw you as his big brother! Hel, she was concerned that she'd ruin the friendship between the two of you before your relationship. She sent you to check up on him during the massacre! To make sure he was safe! I know you blame him for her death, but please remember what she'd have wanted. For the two of you to stick together."_

He couldn't see if he was getting through to Ripper or not. Bladewing's enormous head was still in the way. _"Just say the word Ripper, and I'll rip his wings off."_ Bladewing snarled. Toothless wasn't there to see the pain and misery Ripper went through when they parted ways. They weren't there to hear the countless nights of cries and wails and curses.

They weren't there to see him try and take his own life.

 _"Please, Ripper. Just this once. Help him just this once, and we will go where there'll never be the chance of running into each other. And if not for that, for Laia. Just this once, please!"_ Bladewing inched closer, opening his jaw, and for a brief second, Toothless trembled under the massive dragon's jaws.

"Hold Bladewing." Toothless breathed out a sigh of relief as the dragon closed his jaw, huffed in his face, and moved aside, but soon wished Bladewing was in his face again. Because the death glare Ripper was sending him would have made a Skrill tremble in terror. "You're lucky I still have some respect for you. Because dragon or not, I would have slaughtered anyone else who spoke her name." He turned around once again, gathering all the innards and carcass of the boar.

"But you're right. She would have wanted me to save him. But just this once Toothless, and after that I never want to see the two of you ever again." He began walking to, what Toothless noticed, was the largest hole in the camp by far. Much bigger than something Bladewing would have dug. "What are their numbers?"

 _"Uh, they had three ships. And I don't know how far they've gotten and whether they've met up with others."_

"That's quite alright. We have enough firepower here." He said as he reached the edge of the hole.

 _"How? It's only the three of us against who knows how many. We need more dragons."_

"Just one more should do." Ripper said as he tossed the boar into the hole, and stared into the apparent abyss. He waited, never hearing the boar make contact with the hole's inevitable ground; but he couldn't help the smirk inching across his face at the blood-curdling roar that would have sent any known Viking fleeing.

 _000_

Hiccup had never been on a ship before. Growing up in a region only accessible by dragons had made them, to his people, rather redundant. To think, that riding on the back of the fastest dragon alive, performing unimaginable maneuvers that would knock the wind out of any regular Viking, not once made him sick. The rocking and swaying of the ship on the other hand... He was glad his stomach was empty. Otherwise whatever he'd eaten in the last few hours would be moving about the floor.

His captors weren't taking any chances. He wasn't placed in the brig. They believed no ordinary cell would hold him. Instead, they placed him in the dragon hold. Iron cuffs securing his wrists, arms above his head with chains secured to the ceiling. Countless efforts of pulling and attempting to loosen the fastenings were in vain. These were made to hold dragons. And even though he was a Jormung, he wasn't as strong as a dragon.

He didn't know if Toothless would come. If anything, he hoped his best friend would never return for him. It would be best for the Night Fury to live out the rest of his years without constantly looking over his shoulder.

They had been at sea for a few days now. His only way of keeping time through the small port-hole in his cell. No way of telling where they were or which direction they were heading.

The blonde Viking was the only one coming down, handing him food and water. She'd lower the chains down so he could eat, with her always keeping watch. Neither saying a word to each other. And to think he believed for a second she was...different...from the rest of them. He should have known better.

After all, it was that same hope that that his people paid the ultimate price for.

 _000_

She should have been happy. Just a few days ago she, Astrid Hofferson, proud daughter and oldest child of Bjornson and Asta Hofferson, had aided in the capture of a Jormung. Ever since her Uncle Finn's untimely demise, and subsequent shame brought upon her family, this feat would not only reinstate her family's honour, it would remind Berk that the Hoffersons will always be a clan deserving of respect for their bravery, loyalty, and their warrior prowess.

"Why have we changed course?" Hence the reason for her unhappiness.

She had confronted Eret on the main deck. Said man bore a sheepish grin while holding his hands up, glancing around at his men for some support. Unsurprisingly, all them were keeping busy. They learned that no one should interfere in any confrontation with an annoyed Hofferson.

"Well, I might have failed to mention a prior agreement with the Berserker Chief."

"You made an agreement? With Dagur the Deranged?"

"It was if I ever caught the Jormung, which if I'm being honest was a long shot, I'd meet with him so he could have a look at the guy."

"Why not wait until after you dropped me on Berk's shores?"

"Because I already sent a raven to with a message attached that we had captured the Jormung alive. And before you ask, it was as soon as we boarded the ship. And I just received a message with the same raven earlier this morning with Dagur saying he'd meet us with his ships."

"And you're not the least bit concerned that he might try- no scratch that - will try and take the Jormung for himself?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Eret shrugged her concern off.

"Unbelievable." She muttered and turned away from the conversation.

"If it makes you feel any better, you won't have to wait long. We'll meet up with his fleet by sunset." He called after her as she opened the door that led to her quarters below and slammed it shut behind her with enough force to rattle the whole ship. She stood, door and commotion to her back, Jormung and quiet down the steps ahead of her. She took deep breaths in and out, calming herself down to think rationally. There was no way she was getting out of this meeting. In fact, she had a good suspicion that Dagur would want to bring them along to Berserker Island and parade the Jormung around the villages' streets for the masses to see.

The Jormung.

This was her chance to learn something, anything, about the once legendary people. In fact, this was her chance to learn about the massacre. After days of not speaking a single word to him, and being the only constant person to have some actual contact with him, she might as well commit to memory her encounter with him before the Gods know what's done to him. With a glance to the door behind her, she rushed down the hallway and down the stairs to the cell he was kept in. She soon reached the massive, reinforced iron gate, with him still on the other side, unmoving.

"Legends say that the Jormung's physical senses are nearly twenty times stronger than that of an average Viking."

No response.

"So you clearly heard everything going on up there. Don't bother denying it." Again, nothing. She huffed, pushing a few of her bangs over her ear. "What's it going to take to get you to talk? You seemed much more invested in conversation back on the island." He finally acknowledged her, glancing his eyes towards her through between the bars. "Finally."

"Don't you have better things to do?"

"Well, I'm certain you had been listening on what was going on above, so I don't think I have to explain myself."

"Even if I did happen to overhear your annoyed, exhausted conversation with Eret, which I didn't, you still didn't answer as to why you're here."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Perhaps you haven't noticed, but I'm not exactly a people person. Or did you think I was running for my life for the past year because it's a pastime hobby of mine?"

"You really are a sarcastic shit aren't you?"

"Comes with the lifestyle M'Lady. And forgive my inability to bow to her greatness because-" He glanced to his chained hands suspended over his head, "-my hands are tied."

"Sarcastic and horrible puns. You must have had all the female Jormungs falling for you."

"Only the stubborn, boar headed ones such as yourself."

She smirked. She reached for the keys at her waist, finding the right one and unlocking the gate, walking in towards the side where the chains were secured. She undid them, taking in the satisfaction of him falling to his knees at the sudden weight of his arms coming down. She wasn't going to undo his wrist cuffs though.

"Better?"

"I bet you take pleasure in this, don't you?"

"Only because you were being uncooperative."

"I was chained up like a stuffed boar during your ridiculous holidays. Excuse me if I'm being less than forthcoming." He rolled his shoulders. Gods, that felt good. "So why are you really here?"

"I want to know what happened one year ago." She saw his entire frame go rigid. "What happened that nearly wiped out the entire Jormung tribe?"

"Why do you care?"

"I just want to know-"

"That's not an answer." He said as he stood to his feet. "Did you even question yourself as to why I'm being hunted?" She was silent, but her gaze didn't waver. "I thought so. Just blindly accepting the challenge of hunting down a wild, bloodthirsty Jormung without any context as to why. What did the bounty say exactly? Wanted for mass murder? Wanted for giving aid to dragons? Wanted for minding his own damn business and trying to live his life. _Away_ from any Viking settlement?" She didn't answer. "That's what I thought."

"Then help me understand who you are. Because all I have to go on are fuzzy and drunken tales passed around by sailors and traders. Many of which had been altered by the time they reached Berk."

"What does it matter? My people are dead and I'm about to die. Then there'll only be one Jormung left in this world, and that'll be the end of our people." She saw the tears in the corner of his eyes, which she was drawn to again. She thought she wouldn't be able to look into them, but now, she can't seem to look away from them. She walked up to him. She saw him tense, preparing for some kind of strike, but she grasped his upper arm and turned him to face her.

"I'm listening." It was almost surreal watching his pupils scrutinize her, dilating and contracting, irises constantly changing size. She felt a wave of relief when he smirked.

"What do you want to know?" That's when she realized she didn't even know his name.

"In all our encounters, I don't believe we got each other's names." His blank stare was almost amusing, coupled with his eyebrows disappearing underneath his auburn bangs.

"That's your first question?"

"Isn't it important to know who we're talking to? I'm Astrid by the way. Astrid Hofferson."

"Hiccup. I don't have a last name." He cast her an annoyed look when she snorted at the mention of his name.

"Hiccup? Really?" He could see she was really struggling to hold in her laughter. The sound of her giggles though, was almost cute.

"Yes really. Now that we've got names out of the way, what do you want to know about my people." She wiped a stray tear from her eye as she composed herself.

"Well, whats...uh... what was home like? What were you people like? What about parents?"

"My parents...I never knew my father. I don't think he was ever a part of the Jormung. My mother told a few stories of him though. How she met him after she washed up on the shores of an island. She never mentioned the name though."

"What was your mother like?"

"She was the best. She was the most caring mother a boy could ask for. Although, she was different. Her eyes were just like yours." He said and stared into her diamond blue eyes. He watched said eyes widen in surprise.

"Your mother was a Jormung, and she had normal eyes?"

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders. "A few Jormung were born with regular looking eyes. It was rare, but it did happen. My mother happened to be one of them."

"Were the Jormung with regular eyes treated differently?"

"No. Contrary to popular beliefs of regular Vikings, Jormung were an incredibly tolerant people. We never discriminated. Especially never against our own." Astrid looked away as he turned his eyes towards her. The way he judged her. There was no point denying his silent accusation. She witnessed discrimination in Berk. Anyone who didn't fit Berk's norm, was not safe there. "As for the rest of my people, we were a peaceful tribe. Yes we lived with dragons, and we wanted to stay out of the conflicts of regular Vikings. Which is why we made our home in a land only accessible by dragon-back. We called it Jormand, a shorter name of the great world serpent himself."

"What does it look like?"

"You mean 'did.' Before the massacre." She cursed herself at he slip-up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to.."

"It's fine. It's a day I'll always remember. The day I..." He took in a deep breath, "...the day I learned trust doesn't mean anything in this world." Now that was unexpected. She could almost feel the self-guilt and blame radiating from him. Whatever happened that day, he clearly felt he was responsible for. She closed the already small space between them, and sought his eyes. Bending her head down so that she could see his eyes, and wouldn't look away until he looked at her. And with rather reluctant eyes, he did.

"What happened?"

But before he could begin his story, his ears picked up the sound of the door leading to the hold opening. "Someone's coming." Astrid promptly moved away and ran to the gate, looking out and seeing one of Eret's men running to her.

"Bring the prisoner up. The Berserkers have arrived."


	4. Chapter 4

_000_

Hiccup had heard about the Berserkers back in his classes. A war-hungry tribe whose warriors entered a frenzied state of mind before any battle. Cutting any enemy in their path while showing no reaction to any wound they themselves suffer. They were also fierce dragon hunters. Going after the rarest of dragons most of the times; such as a Skrill. Which is why they were high up on the Jormung's list of tribes to avoid.

They were heading up the steps to the main deck. One of Eret's men in front of him and Astrid at his back. He wasn't sure what to feel about the situation. Would, as heard from Astrid's conversation above, the Berserkers double-cross his captors and take him away for their own, unpleasant purposes? If that was the inevitable case, he sure hoped the dragon hunters wouldn't let him go without a fight.

He could already hear the commotion going on just beyond the door. And from what it sounded like, it appeared Eret and someone else were going back and forth about an agreement. It wasn't until the crew-mate opened the door that all talking ceased as he felt every single pair of eyes land on him. It was hard not to notice the huge, burly men with massive axes and maces in hand, standing by the ship's railings and next to a gangplank from a more, intimidating ship. Armed with ballista's on each side, and warriors with bows and arrows at the ready. It was when his eyes moved up to the sails that took his breath away. He never expected a dragon of all things to be the symbol of a Viking tribe. The legendary Skrill at that.

"By Thor... I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd be here, laying my eyes on a Jormung." Hiccup heard someone say. Turning to the source of the voice, he was greeted by the insane looking eyes of what he presumed to be the Berserker Chief. Not as big as some of his men, but looking just as strong and fierce.

"That's because if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't." Eret remarked, however Astrid coughed loudly, raising her brow at Eret. "Sorry...if not for us!" He quickly corrected himself. Astrid rolled her eyes, before grasping his arm and pushing him forward.

"Dagur, so what do we owe this visit?" She asked.

"Well, after Eret made a brief stop on Berserker island, it was brought to my attention on the bounty he was after. And being the curious soul that I am, I couldn't help but insert myself into this highly challenging quest."

"This quest is over, Dagur."

"But won't you let me at least speak to it?" He looked towards Eret.

"I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't call me an _it_." Hiccup said. All the Berserkers present on the ship gasped. Hiccup scoffed, clearly irked by their disrespect for his kind.

"How did you learn to talk?" He was surprised by how fast Dagur closed the distance between them, standing face-to-face with him. Hiccup could now clearly tell that this man was slightly, if not mostly, insane.

"On my own in fact. Teachers helped me expand my vocabulary." He raised a brow when Dagur's eyes seemed to glitter with awe. "You are uncomfortably close to me. Please back off." Fortunately, Astrid pulled him back and inserted herself between the two men.

"Now that you've had your encounter, I'm sure you have to be on your way." Astrid looked to take Hiccup back down to the hold but stopped when she noticed some of Dagur's men blocking the door that led below. She also noticed out of the corner of her eye that most of the men had drawn their weapons and were taking up positions around the ship. Eret noticed this too.

"I'm afraid I can't let you take him away just yet."

"Dagur, don't do anything you'll regret." Eret warned him, hand reaching for his sword.

The Berserker Chief chuckled, pulling out his sword, and pointed it square at Eret. "If anyone should be careful here, it should be you. Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking that Jormung off your hands."

"Told you you should have seen this coming." Astrid muttered in Eret's direction, moving herself and Hiccup closer to him. The rest of Eret's men didn't dare draw their weapons. They were out manned, out shipped and out gunned. "What exactly are you going to do with him anyway?"

"Keep him as my personal slave, what else? Do you know how many people will flock to our island just to gaze on the last Jormung in existence? And besides.." He raised his sword, running his fingers along the edge, "..I've always wanted to test a Jormung's prowess and skills in battle. I hear they were famed at it." Astrid could hear Hiccup's gulp. She knew from capturing him that he was no where near the fighting level of a warrior Jormung. Or Dagur's level for that matter. There was no way she was going to let them take him away. If only there was-

That was when everyone heard it.

A loud, piercing whistle in the now, orange, purple sky.

"Night Fury!"

They heard it getting closer. Only glimpses of a shadow dancing across the sky. Heads turning this way and that, following the direction of the sound and hoping to catch any glimpse of the beast. "Prepare yourselves!" Astrid yelled, her ax drawn in her right hand, and Hiccup's arm in her other. She'd be damned if she let the Night Fury just swoop in and carry him away. Despite the impending peril, Dagur's maniacal laugh was almost on par with the Night Fury's shrieking whistle.

"Oh praise the Gods! First the Jormung and now a Night Fury? Oh happy day!" He was faster in looking for the Night Fury. His adrenaline and glee were at an all time high.

"Is he always like this?" Hiccup asked her.

Why wasn't he- _Oh_. Why would he be scared of that sound? His dragon was coming back for its rider.

She didn't answer him. Instead, pulling him closer to Eret. The more bodies the Night Fury had to go through, the better. It wouldn't risk harming its rider.

"Remember this day men! The day the Berserkers captured a Jormung and a Night Fury! Our names will be sung in all the halls for years to come!" Dagur laughed.

However, that all stopped when a huge gust of wind blew from behind them, and an enormous thud on the main deck of the ship. Everyone turned to see the Night Fury, wings spread, eyes in slits and teeth bared. Astrid didn't remember it being this aggressive the first time she encountered it. However, what caught everyone's attention was the person getting off the Night Fury's back; and Astrid had a good suspicion of who it was.

"Congratulations to all of you!" The figure said, standing straight to face all of them. Astrid felt different about this Jormung. She didn't feel nearly as threatened during her first encounter. But from the tales she's heard, then that meant the Jormung right in front of her was the one that didn't leave any witnesses. And she could see why. He was _definitely_ a Jormung who's seen, trained and fought in battles. His incredible size size and unwavering stance, against an entire fleet, spoke volumes. She quickly began assessing her target. His cloak kept his left side hidden, and all she could see was a sword in its scabbard, fastened to the right side of his hip. There was no telling what he could do or what he was capable of.

"You all have experienced a sighting that no one before you ever has! Laying eyes on the last two Jormung in existence." He stayed at the dragon's side, near the ships railing on the starboard side.

"Too bad none of you will live to tell the tale-" his eyes met hers and then Hiccup's. She felt him tremble under his gaze. "-unless, you release him this instance."

"And who are you to bark orders when you're outnumbered? Anyone who willingly walks into any Berserker fleet would be deemed more insane than I am." Dagur laughed.

"Dagur, right? Chief of the Berserkers? The tribe with the greatest armada of all the clans in the Archipelago?" The Jormung asked.

"What's it to you?"

The Jormung shrugged his shoulders. "Would be a shame if all your ships met an untimely fate." He was met with laughter, mostly from Dagur and his men. One even dared to close the distance to him, along the railing, his bow aimed at him.

"And how are you going to do that? You may have the Night Fury at your side, but there is no chance in Hel that you survive this." There were hums of agreement going around the Berserkers. Silence from the dragon trappers. The Jormung turned his attention to the bowman.

"What is your name?"

"What's it to you? Wanna remember the name of the man that slayed you?" No one saw it coming. One second he was talking, the next, a dragon's tail, covered with spines, was sticking out of his chest. Everyone gasped, but none made a move. He dropped his bow and arrow and clutched at the tail which was lifting him up. It was then a massive dragon showed itself, rising from below the water's surface and above the ship's side; milky white eyes trained all of them, except the Berserker impaled on its tail, who was coughing up blood and struggling to breathe.

"Names of dead men don't matter." The Jormung said before the Whispering Death coiled its tail and flung the Berserker far away from any of the ships. "Now that the odds have tipped in my favour, are you all going to reconsider my offer?"

"Do as he says." Hiccup muttered to her. "He's not bluffing. He will continue to kill until you release me." She glanced at him. His eyes said everything. She could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of what would happen to them if they didn't comply. However, before either she or Eret could respond, Dagur spoke.

"I'm afraid you're forgetting who you're up against." Dagur drew his other sword and the rest of his men got into their stances. Everyone also noticed the ballistas and catapults being aimed in their direction from the surrounding Berserker ships. "We Berserkers are prepared to die in any circumstance. And rest assured that we will not be letting your friend go. Unless-" He directed his sword to Hiccup's chest. "-you want us to kill him now."

"I wouldn't be against it." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. That caught everyone, excluding Hiccup, off guard. "You'd make my life a Hel of a lot easier. But I'm afraid I can't do that. So Dagur, are you going to release him, or do you want a massacre on your hands?"

"What are you-"

"I'm going to give until the count of five to release him or I start sinking your ships and killing your men. One-"

"You're bluffing."

"Two."

"He's not bluffing. Do as he says!" Hiccup yelled.

"Three."

"Dagur stop testing him!" Eret said.

"Four."

"No deal."

"Five. Okay, have it your way." Astrid watched him turn to the Whispering Death, giving it a nod. Was he going to have the dragons attack a ship? But if that were the case, then he'd leave himself defenseless. Unless he believed he could take on an entire crew by himself. Considering she never truly faced a Jormung in warrior mode, she was not about to underestimate him.

She saw the Whispering Death raise its tail, before beginning to coil it. She grabbed Hiccup and pulled him closer. He wouldn't dare hit the person he was trying to rescue, would he? She got her answer a few moments later when the dragon fired a few spikes into a Berserker ship about a hundred paces east from Eret's ship. Astrid waited with bated breath. Everything about this Jormung screamed deadly and unpredictable. The gap in how this Jormung and Hiccup acted was just leagues. There was no way that all Jormung were like him. Her thoughts were cut short by Dagur, and most of his men, broke into laughter.

"What's a few little spikes going to do to my-" He was interrupted when their boat rocked. Highly unusual when in calm waters. "What's that in the water?" One of Eret's crew called out. Everyone's heads turned towards the source of commotion. Because the day's light was nearly gone, she couldn't make out what was swimming just below the surface. All she could tell was that it was huge, and it was making its way towards the Berserker ship the Whispering Death had dislodged its spines into. The Berserkers on the ship began firing their ballistas at the water in a panic. Nothing seemed to slow the creature down. And just when it was at the ship's hull, did the beast seem to disappear.

And that's when chaos broke out.

Giant jaws captured the ship, pushing it up and snapping it in half. The screams of the men could be heard all around as everyone stared at the humongous, snow-white dragon with blood-red eyes as it devoured any man in its jaws. The Berserkers who were lucky enough to not be eaten in the initial attack fell to the waters below them Resurfacing fast, they began swimming towards the other ships. But their effort was futile. After ridding its mouth of the ships' remains, it trained its eyes on the survivors below. Its blood-curdling roar would have been felt for miles as it dove for the sea's surface and gobbling up any Berserker in the water.

"May I introduce all of you to the Screaming Death. Incredibly rare boulder-class dragon. Hatches about every one hundred years. Extremely loyal to its kin. Extremely dangerous." He turned to face them. "No known weaknesses." The Jormung was smirking. Hearing the cries of dying Vikings and the sight of blood and death brought that smirk on his face. He wasn't afraid to kill to make a point. He wasn't afraid to kill needlessly.

No one on the ship moved. None of the other ships mounted any kind of offense. Anything they'd do would bring attention upon themselves and, all likelihood, meet their end in the belly of that dragon. The Jormung gave a whistle, catching the attention of the beast whom, after making sure there were no survivors, flew towards them. The now night-sky did nothing to diminish the pale, white scales of the Screaming Death. The blood staining its jaws didn't help either.

The beast was at least ten ships long. Its head could have been the same size as two and a half ships stacked on top of each other. She was pretty sure it could even break a ship in half with its tail. No ballistas or catapults would be able to bring it down.

Both Dagur's and Eret's men moved away from the Jormung and his two dragons once the great white beast hovered behind, eyes trained all of them. Its exhales carrying the scent of fresh blood and guts and Gods knew what else was in its belly. "Hand him over, or I start sinking ships. Your choice." Was all he said. And considering he had no trouble in making a statement a few minutes prior, he would carry out his threat. "And to any of you who's thinking to kill me where I stand, looking at you Dagur, you'll all be making your way to Valhalla or Helheim in a matter of seconds. So I do suggest you think carefully about your next move."

"Could you at least give us time to think about it?" Eret asked.

The smirk the Jormung gave sent chills down Astrid's spine. "No." And with one gesture from his arm the white behemoth behind him took off towards another Berserker ship. The sheer force the beast created when it blew past over them nearly sent a few sailors over the railings. The rest could only watch as the familiar screams and roars from before came back.

"Hand him over and it all stops."

Hiccup pulled out of her grip, turning to face her, eyes pleading. "Please! You have to release me! If you don't he'll leave no survivors. And I mean, _no_ survivors." She could see the truth in his eyes. She suspected that if the other Jormung would leave him alive. But his eyes said otherwise. Clearly whatever happened between the two of them was reason enough for him to fear for his own life. But then again, could they risk a surprise attack against him? She did a quick look-over him and the dragons and found no way of launching a surprise attack. They had their eyes trained on the entire crew, paying no attention to the carnage over on the remains of the other ship. Besides, how would she signal Eret to try something without alerting the Jormung.

"Alright." She said aloud, reaching for the keys at her waist.

"No you don't!" Dagur tried to make a move to stop her but Eret had his blade at Dagur's neck.

"I'm not dying for your ambitions, Dagur." He said, unfazed by the Berserker Chief's glare. The clang of metal chains hitting the deck rang out, as Hiccup rubbed his wrists and silently thanked Astrid. She gestured for to him to make his way to the other Jormung.

He took one glance at Ripper's eyes, immediately regretting it. He still felt the hatred radiating from his former brother. You could almost breathe it in.

Keeping his eyes downcast, he walked over to Toothless' side.

"We've done what you asked. Now please get off my ship." Eret said. Astrid stared incredulously at him. They just handed over their only bargaining chip and that's how he opens up. She looked back at the Jormung, only to see him smiling.

"It's your lucky day everyone. Because you all have been so cooperative, I've decided to spare all your worthless lives." He said as Hiccup got atop Toothless and Ripper stepped into his steps alongside's Bladewing's head. "However, heed this as your only warning if any of you chooses to come after me." His threat was followed up by a whistle. In response they saw the Screaming Death continue its rampage through the rest of the Berserker fleet.

Dagur watched helplessly as his fleet was torn apart. Usually the screams and cries of help would soothe him on those troubled nights. But not when they were coming from his own army. He turned away from the massacre, and stared up at Ripper, face twisted into a nasty snarl.

"I'll get you for this! You hear me! Nothing in Helheim can prepare you for the horrors you'll suffer at my hands!"

Astrid really wished Dagur would shut up. The Jormung could have them killed at any time. However, as she looked up to see his face, she was surprised at the calm expression he bore.

"That's the thing Dagur, I've already been through Helheim."


	5. Chapter 5

_000_

Hiccup glanced back for a few seconds from atop Toothless, watching the Screaming Death finish up the remaining ships. The fading screams of the Berserkers brought back many, horrible memories from the past year that he never wanted to revisit. Fate on the other hand, had other ideas after sending Ripper to rescue him. The last person on Midgard he'd expected to come after him. He'd have to ask Toothless later on how he convinced him.

After the last Berserker ship and crew was taken care of, the Screaming Death blew past over the only remaining ship, not sparing it a second glance.

He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Astrid had been spared a gruesome death.

And yet he didn't know why he was glad she was safe. She was the one that captured him and nearly, inadvertently, sentenced him to a life of being a personal slave and village attraction. But did she really want to know him back in the hull of the ship? Was she really willing to listen to his side of an unpopular opinion.

Her eyes were determined. Her voice resolute when she spoke. Maybe she really did-

"You had that same look in your eye." Ripper brought him out of his train of thought.

Hiccup was quite surprised to be honest. He expected his former friend to just leave him once they were out of danger. But the fact that he was still here, and speaking to him, Hiccup almost wished he did just leave. He recognized that tone anywhere. He always heard it before he and Ripper got into heated arguments. The last time he heard it was when they went their separate ways after their home was destroyed. Instead of arguing and raising the situation to a shouting match, Hiccup stayed quiet. Not only would that keep Ripper calm, it would deny him the satisfaction of hearing Hiccup agree with his statement.

"Land on that sea stack." Ripper said, as Bladewing flew straight for it, with Hiccup and Toothless reluctantly following them. They landed at opposite ends, keeping as much distance as possible between them.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck, occasionally glancing at Ripper, waiting for him to speak. But then again, what was there to say?

"I guess a 'thank you' is in order." Hiccup said slowly, keeping his eyes low, in case he was intimidated by Ripper's glare. As expected, Ripper shot him a scowl, but Hiccup managed to maintain eye contact.

"You guess?"

"No, sorry. Let me try this again." Hiccup took a deep breath, "Thank you for saving me back there. You had no reason to, but I'm glad you did."

"You're right. I had _no_ reason to. You're lucky I still have some respect for Toothless. But now that I've held up my end of the bargain, you better make sure he stays far away from me." Hiccup glanced at Toothless, who nodded at Ripper's words.

"You were able to convince him to come rescue me?"

Ripper gave out a hollow chuckle. "'Convinced' is a nice way of putting it. He guilt-tripped me with a name that the two of you should never utter from your mouths in my presence." Toothless flattened his ears and averted his gaze. Given the circumstances at the time, he had no choice. His best friend's life was in danger and Ripper was the only solution. He'd do the exact same thing if he was put in that situation again.

Hiccup stared at Toothless, mouth agape. He was even more amazed that Ripper had enough self-control to not attack Toothless on the spot.

"I'm sorry he had to go to such lengths, but he's my best friend, Ripper. You know he'd do anything to protect me."

"All too well." Hiccup watched Ripper adjust his flight gear, when he noticed something.

"You're still wearing the gear I made you."

"I might hate you, Hiccup, but I'm a warrior first. Your gear is the most useful when it comes to flying. Rest assured I'll burn it once I find something else of the same caliber." Ripper latched himself onto Bladewing, holding tight to the handle he fixed. "Now, I'll be making my way west of here. I want you two to head in the opposite direction and keep on going." Bladewing flapped his wings, slowly lifting the two of them into the air as Ripper continued to stare the two down. "You're on your own for good this time." Bladewing was about to take off for the horizon, but delayed the departure when Hiccup spoke up.

"Can we...Will we ever reconcile, Ripper?" He knew he sounded desperate. Pathetic even. But this was most likely the last time he'd see him. "We're the last two Jormung left. I-If we do this," he gestured to the space between them, "then what chance do our people have-"

"Stop. Right. There." Ripper cut him off. Hiccup turned his gaze up, unprepared of Ripper's glare, and concerned that he was visibly shaking. His voice was as cold as the air of Helheim when he spoke, "Clearly you've forgotten that your poor judgement is _the_ reason why we don't have a people anymore!" Despite having a hundred feet between them, Hiccup backed up against Toothless, uncertain of what Ripper might do. " _You_ are the reason we don't have a people anymore. _You_ are the reason we're on the run from the entire Archipelago, constantly looking over our shoulders. _You_ are the reason I lost my chance at-" He stopped himself, closing his eyes and taking in deep, slow breaths. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore." Bladewing turned away from the duo as Ripper spoke his final words.

"You better enjoy your time in the world of the living, Hiccup. It's a only a matter of time before fate catches up with you." Bladewing opened up his wings and shot for the horizon, leaving Hiccup to relive those same feelings from one year ago.

Abandonment.

Helplessness.

Guilt.

Failure.

 _"Hiccup"_ Toothless nudged his best friend, trying to get him out of his thoughts. That was the last place he needed to be.

"I'm fine bud." He said as he watched Ripper disappear into the night. Guess he really could call himself the last Jormung in existence. He turned towards Toothless, only to lose his footing. Luckily, Toothless was right there, gladly supporting him, as he let himself collapse to the ground, eyes brimming with tears. Toothless could do nothing really, but curl around Hiccup. He would always be there for him.

 _"It's going to be okay. We'll make it through this. We always do."_

"It's all my fault. Our home. Our tribe. My people. The dragons...They all died because of me."

 _"No Hiccup. That man killed them. Not you."_

"But I'm the one who brought him to the village. I'm the one who taught him our ways, against the better judgment of the elders; even Ripper." Hiccup ran his hands through his hair, throwing his head back and looking up at the cloudless night sky, at the crescent moon. He could remember such calm, peaceful nights back home. When everything was right with the world. When everyone was still alive.

 _"We can't do anything to change the past, Hiccup. All we can do is to keep them in our memories, live every day to its fullest, and keep moving forward."_ Hiccup swallowed, biting back the sob that was about to escape his lips. Toothless was right. He was just as much of a survivor than Ripper. And he wouldn't stop now. Not when he could still leave his own footprint on Viking society, and not with the likes of fear and savagery that Ripper was doing.

He pushed off of Toothless, dusting his pants, taking in a deep breath before looking back to his friend. "Thanks bud, I really needed that." He smiled.

 _"Of course you did."_ Toothless raised himself, stretching out his wings. _"What's the plan? Head back for our stuff? Or find some isolated place and lay low for a while?"_

"I'm afraid lying low isn't going to be an option anymore, bud. Not with Dagur the Deranged's new-found goal." Toothless lowered himself as Hiccup swung his right leg over the Toothless' back and pressed himself low as the Night Fury took off. "We head back to Changewing Isle, grab the necessities, and start our new journey."

 _"With you, I've learned there's an up and downside to these journeys."_

Hiccup couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "You know me too well, Toothless."

 _"So what is this new journey we're heading on."_

"I have a feeling you're going to be strongly against it."

 _4 Days Later_

Berk had never been a more welcome sight. Being a Viking in a world where any day could be your last, one tended to forget the little things that could bring comfort, a sense of safety. A sense of home. Astrid would never understand why their ancestors never bothered to relocate to pack up their belongings and supplies and move on from Berk. Surely there must have been an island that wasn't constantly raided by ten ton fire-breathing lizards. But then again, considering their luck making home on said island, the possibilities of them landing on the shores of a relatively peaceful island were very slim to none.

Besides, Astrid wouldn't be the recognized warrior she is if they were on some passive rock.

"Well, this turned out to be quite the adventure." Eret joined her at the ships bow. "You should really consider about becoming a dragon trapper." Astrid raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk toying at her lips as she glanced at him. "I'm serious! We could use a capable hand such as yourself."

"You mean _you_ could use a capable hand who just so happens to be one of the most beautiful women you've met." Eret's blush confirmed her suspicions. She wasn't oblivious to her appearance. She might be Berk's most capable and accomplished warrior to date, but she wasn't called a Valkyrie for nothing. The constant marriage offers that found their way to her father's front door, as well as her Chief's, was second to none. It didn't help that most of the women, even women younger than her, were being married off; either to Berkian families, or a visiting tribe's.

Most of the offers were too good to pass up on. A visiting Chief and his son even offered land back on their island. And her father refused, and did so with every other offer that would have benefited her family for generations.

"Eh-It's not that it's just-" Her know-it-all glance stopped him in his tracks. "Yes, you're right. But hey, can't blame a guy for trying right?" He shrugged his shoulders, boring a sheepish grin. Astrid merely rolled her eyes and turned her gaze back to the ever growing island of Berk.

"As far as I'm concerned, my heart will always be planted in Berk." Eret knew that was the end of the conversation. During their time together, he began to pick up on her tones; whether she was annoyed, cheerful, or even neutral.

"With this wind, we'll be at Berk's docks within the hour." He said as he turned away, and began barking out orders to the rest of his crew, getting the ship ready for port. She tuned out the hustle and bustle taking place on the main deck, mentally preparing herself for the welcome she'd receive. And the hard fact that they were returning empty-handed.

 _000_

About half of Berk had made its way to the docks once they saw the dragon trapper's ship. Men, women and children lining the pier, waiting in anticipation at the possible sighting of a Jormung. Chief Stoick was one of the last to arrive. Overseeing construction on Berk's storehouses drew precedence over one of their own returning after sometime. Even if it was their fiercest warrior.

The crew carefully guided the vessel the last few yards with oars and Eret's steady hand at the rudder. A few men on deck, mooring lines in hand, tossed them to Berk's waiting pier men, who swiftly tied down the lines to the cleats. Another man put the gangplank in position, and Astrid, her belongings in a bag tossed over her shoulder, was the first to disembark. And she was instantly enveloped by the crowd, bombarding her with questions about her journey.

"Did you catch the Jormung?"

"Is it on the ship?"

"Did it really have wings on its backs like the stories say?"

"Did you get its head?"

She really didn't have time for this. She was tired and hungry. A horrible combination in any Hofferson. Fortunately, her Chief read her like a book.

"Alright everyone, give her some room!" His booming voice quelled the questions, and the crowd parted ways for him to make his way up to her. "Astrid, it's good to see you back in one piece." She always found his smile, under that amazingly well-kept beard, easing.

"It's good to be back, Chief. I'm just ready for a hot meal and some rest."

"As you should be, come." He placed a hand on her back and led her through the crowd, heading up the ramps and pathways and back to the village.

"Sorry about the commotion." He gestured to the villagers who were trailing behind them, keeping a respectable distance between the two.

"I wouldn't have expected less from Berkians. Such a nosy people. Can't wait to get the new gossip and news going around the village."

Stoick chuckled. "Aye, we are a bunch who can't keep our noses out of other people's business. So, if you don't mind me asking, how was the journey?" Astrid raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk at her lips. "Like you said, we're a nosy people." Getting a chuckle out of the both of them.

"It was a success...until Dagur intervened." She saw the Chief's face light up, but she might as well dash his hopes in a quick fashion.

"Did he capture the Jormung from you?"

"Almost...he was about to, but then _the other_ Jormung showed up and all Hel broke loose."

"The other one?" Astrid nodded. "So you came face-to-face with the Jormung that leaves no survivors? By the Gods..." Stoick was coming to the realization that he, Berk, could have lost Astrid and they wouldn't have known it.

"I couldn't believe it myself either. I was sure that was the end but...it only sank Dagur's fleet, but left Eret's ship unharmed."

"Praise Odin and Thor for keeping you safe, Astrid."

"Yeah. I hate to admit it, but I counted myself lucky." They just reached the top of the cliff and entered the village when Astrid noticed it. "Another dragon raid." She sighed.

"Aye lass. We had three while you were gone...but there was nothing you could about it." Stoick quickly continued, seeing that Astrid was ready to disagree with him.

"I should have been here! Then maybe there wouldn't be as much damage, or at least led the fire crew and keeping everything under-"

"Calm down, lass. It's thanks to your new training regiment and students that we didn't suffer more damage. You've done an incredible job training them, and they were more than up for the task."

"But still." She pouted.

"I know, Astrid. People like us, we always feel like it could've been different if we were there. But you have to remember, Berk has capable warriors who can hold their own just as well as you can. And Berk has had the pleasure of your training; despite what the complaints says."

Astrid smiled. She wouldn't be doing her job if she wasn't getting complaints from her students. The lazy ones, anyway.

"Anyway, I've held you up long as it is. Your parents are back home, waiting for you."

"Thank you Chief, and have a good night." She bid him farewell as she jogged the remaining distance to her home, unaware of the black shadow that flew above her, and into the forest bordering the village.

 **A/N: Love to hear your thoughts on this!**


	6. Chapter 6

_000_

After the excitement and adrenaline from her journey, there was nothing more comforting than walking up her home's front steps, opening the door, only to be nearly bowled over by three small heads who wrapped themselves tightly around her legs and waist.

"Big sis, you're home!" One of them yelled.

"We knew you'd be back!" A young, masculine voice said.

"It was so boring without you!" She looked down to see three pairs of glistening blue eyes and wide grins staring up at her.

"I missed you guys too!" She knelt down so she could hug all of them. This was a side of Astrid that only few got to witness. Apart from their chief, Berk had always known Astrid as a pillar of fortitude, strength, loyalty, and most importantly, her prowess in battle. She was the epitome of the Hofferson name, and prided herself on it. People were even speculating that she could be the best Hofferson in Berk's history. That was mostly said to irk Bran Hofferson, her father, who currently held that title. However, Bran could only marvel at the woman his eldest daughter had become. Even though he wouldn't admit, she had clearly surpassed him as best Hofferson. And he could only watch with undying love and pride as she hugged the rest of her siblings, wiping away a few of their joyful tears at her return.

"Hope you guys were good for mama and papa?" She asked, taking her eyes off the trio in front of her and greeting her parents with a nod.

"Yes we were!" Asta said. She was the second oldest child of the Hoffersons. Just like the rest of the children in the village, Astrid was her role model. Ever since she turned the ripe young age of five, Astrid had presented her with her own ax that their father gave her when she had turned five. She explained, as well as she could to a five year old at the time, that this was the beginning of a new chapter in her life. This was the moment her training would begin and that she'd have a lot to live up to. Instead of feeling the burden of the Hofferson lineage, as well her sister's expectations, Asta swore to Astrid that she would be the best Hofferson there ever was.

And fives later, she was keeping her word.

"Although Bjorn skipped training a couple of times." She gave her younger brother, Bjorn, the third oldest, a smirk.

"Asta! You said you weren't going to bring it up!" Bjorn complained, immediately glancing at Astrid, who had that 'Oh really?' look. But before he could say anything, she ruffled his hair, standing back up to full height (being over ten years older than your siblings did have its perks).

"Well now that I'm back, I doubt you'd want to skip training, if you know what's good for you?" She asked, as picked up her youngest sibling, Brenna, who was only four years old and walked over to the table where her dad was currently seated, and her mom was setting the table. Asta and Bjorn quickly rushed to their mother's side, eager to help her while Astrid sat down opposite her father, and placed Brenna in her lap.

"I take it the bounty was unsuccessful; otherwise I'd be having Silent Sven banging against my door and screaming for me to get my behind down to the docks."

"Tell me again why we keep calling him 'Silent' Sven even though he broke his silence three years ago?" Astrid asked, as she worked on a few braids for Brenna's hair, smiling to herself.

"You know Berk dear, incredibly stubborn to try something new." He chuckled. "But so, how was the journey?"

"It was quite the experience. After a couple of weeks we did eventually track one of them to an island and did manage to capture him-"

"You what!?" Bjorn yelled, nearly dropping the mugs he was carrying to the table. "You actually caught him!?" Placing the mugs on the table, he rushed to her side, "What was he like? Was he covered in scales? Did he breathe fire? Oh did he have wings coming out of his back!?"

"That's enough Bjorn. Your sister was about to tell us that."

"What did we say about interrupting those who are talking Bjorn?" Astrid asked her brother, who deflated when he realized his mistake.

"Sorry Astrid." He apologized, craning his head down and gazing up at her, trying to imitate his best puppy-dog eyes.

"You know that's never going to work on me right?"

"Eh, worth a shot." He said before heading back to get the trays that were full of food.

"Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted-" She glanced at Bjorn who stuck his tongue out at her, "-He looked like a regular Viking. No scales, no wings, no breathing fire. Just looked like your average typical human...Except for his eyes though."

"His eyes?"

"They were dragon eyes that could change shape."

"Interesting. Were you able to fight him?"

"Sort of." She shrugged her shoulders with a sheepish grin. "He had his dragons show up to protect him, oh that's where I saw his dragon, papa. It was a Night Fury." She watched her father's eyes widen in shock and jaw hang slightly.

"A Night Fury? But I thought those were extinct." Asta said as she sat down next to her sister.

"They are incredibly rare, dear, not extinct. But still, to have a Night Fury.." Her mother pondered.

"After his dragon appeared, Eret, the hunters and I engaged them in battle. Thanks to the sedatives the trappers had, they subdued most of the dragons, and I was able to take on the Night Fury and the Jormung."

"Wow, sis. You took on the Night Fury and Jormung all by yourself?" Asta asked.

"I did have help from Eret. His bola distracted the Night Fury long enough for me to see what the Jormung was made of...and I was disappointed."

"How so?" Her mother asked as she served each one of them.

"He didn't seem like a fighter. He didn't know the proper technique of wielding a sword. He never got into a fighting stance, and he seemed reluctant to even try and fight. It was almost as if he just wanted to get away but never had the chance."

"That is strange. I always thought the Jormung were a warrior people, who had dragons to aid them."

"Oh they are. I learned that when the second Jormung came to us." Everyone stilled at this.

"The _second_ Jormung?" Her father asked. His voice might have been as hard as ice, but his eyes told a different picture. It was the one emotion that Astrid almost never saw in father - fear.

"So you've heard of his reputation?"

"I heard there were two. How one of the two never left survivors. Which was the main reason I didn't want you going on this journey. Not knowing which Jormung you'd encounter."

"How did he find you guys?" Bjorn asked.

"When we captured the Jormung, his Night Fury was able to escape. I could only assume that he went to the second Jormung for help. But in a sense, I'm glad he did."

"Why?"

"Because Dagur the Deranged showed up with a small fleet."

"Uh oh." Brenna sounded, earning chuckles from everyone around her.

"What did he want?" Bjorn asked.

"The Jormung. Apparently Eret couldn't keep his mouth shut during a stop at Berserker Island, so he promised that if we were successful, he'd bring the Jormung over to show him. But as we all know Dagur, he left with a small fleet to come to us and take the Jormung. And that's when the second one showed up with a dragon the likes of which we've never seen. And hopefully, never do."

"What was it?" Her parents asked.

"The Screaming Death. You could say it's from the same family as the Whispering Deaths. But it is much, _much_ bigger. And more deadly than any dragon I've ever faced." Seeing how everyone was waiting, she continued "The dragon was at least three to four battle ships long. Catapults, arrows, nets, anything, didn't have an effect on it. It tore the Berserker fleet to literal pieces. And not one soul on those ships survived. The dragon devoured them all."

Brenna whimpered in her arms. She wasn't a fan of dark stories. Astrid kissed her cheek and rubbed her back in an effort to sooth her. "I'm certain I'm here because we released the Jormung we captured. Otherwise..." She trailed off. She didn't have to continue. Her entire family knew what could have transpired.

"Well then...Thank Odin, Thor, Freyja and all the other Gods that you're still here with us." Her mother said.

"Yeah sis. I didn't think it'd be this dangerous." Bjorn said, walking over to her and hugging her. The fact that were only a decision away from losing Astrid was tough to stomach. Sensing the somber mood she just invoked, Astrid tried to lighten the mood.

"Well if that Jormung ever does show his face on Berk, believe me when I say he'll be sorry for showing up to our home." She smiled. "And we all know what to never get in front of, do we Brenna?"

"A mad lady Hofferson." She replied, causing her father and brother to erupt in laughter, while Astrid, Asta and their mother shared knowing smiles.

Yeah, her family was pretty awesome.

 _000_

 _"This is a horrible idea."_

"Then why are you coming with me?"

 _"Because you_ will _die if I'm not there to bail you out. Which is bound to happen considering how idiotic this idea of yours is."_

It didn't take long for them to gather necessary supplies and set off on Hiccup's new adventure. Unfortunately for Toothless, the first thing they did was track the trapper's ship and followed it from a safe distance all the way to Berk.

 _"All this for one girl. I hope you realize we're going to an island full of_ dragon killers. _I repeat,_ dragon killers. _Does that not put you off one bit?"_

"Yes I know Berk's full of dragon killers. Herself included. But there's something different about her. I just know it."

Toothless just grumbled in response. "You weren't there on the ship. She was the only one who talked to me. Even right before the whole Berserker thing, she wanted to know more about us. She wanted to know the truth about the Jormung Clan. She's proof that maybe not all Vikings are bad."

Toothless wouldn't to reply to sentiment. And Hiccup was thankful for it. The last time he uttered those exact same words, his people paid for the price for it. He was hoping now, being a fugitive on the run from the entire known world, that he'd attempt one last shot at saving his people's legacy. Even if it did cost him his life. However, he was confused with Toothless' smirk.

 _"And here I thought you were looking for potential mate."_ Toothless chuckled at his friend's reddening face. _"She does look like she can foster a strong line of Jormung."_

"Oh shut up! It's nothing like that!" Toothless burst out laughing at Hiccup's high pitched voice.

 _"Oh please. I know you wouldn't be against it if she felt the same way."_

"You've seen her bud. She'd more rather gut me than raise any children of mine."

Luckily for them, night had fallen to mask their approach into Berk. While flying over, he spotted said blonde talking to a mountain of a man in the village. So huge in fact that Hiccup believed even Ripper and some of the past Jormung warriors of old might struggle to take down. His eyes followed her all the way to, what he presumed, was her house. After making a mental note of its position, he and Toothless flew towards the forest at the edge of the village, and began surveying the area, looking for a place to set up camp.

After an hour or two, they settled on secluded spot in the forest. A cove, surrounded by thick brush and the only way down was to carefully maneuver along the stone slopes. Which wasn't going to be a concern for Toothless, or him. After unloading the gear strapped to him, Toothless found himself a stone slab which he heated up and proceeded to nap. Hiccup didn't complain. He had flown all this after all, and flew Gods knew how long to find Ripper. He more than deserved the rest.

Hiccup got to work setting up some makeshift bedding and building the tent around that. The task didn't take long. After being on the run for the past year, he'd learn to master the art of setting up a camp to call home. Once done, he glanced over to Toothless, who was fast asleep now, and looked to the forest above and around him. He figured he might as well explore and familiarize his new home...home for the moment, to be honest.

After clambering up the slope with ease, he began to walk around. His dragon eyes allowed him to see better in the dark. Comparatively better to that of normal Vikings. He did a perimeter check around the cove, looking for any signs that signaled this was a location frequented by the villagers. He looked for trails, markings, broken branches, footprints, etc. but was pleased when he found no signs of any of them. That's when he decided to expand his search.

He was becoming more and more pleased with the location. The greenery around him bore various berries and herbs he was already familiar with. They were relatively isolated so he could start setting up traps to catch some wild animals. With his recent discovery, he picked a few berries and began crushing them and wiping the residue on trees he passed. As a means of helping him find his way back close to the cove. However, he eventually wound up in a clearing in the forest. But it wasn't empty. He saw targets placed strategically around the area, practice dummies and a makeshift workbench; most likely used for on the spot repairs, crafting or sharpening. Using his heightened senses, he carefully listened for any Viking within a hundred yards from him.

With nothing but silence, he ventured into the clearing to take a closer look at the equipment. He noticed the bow and arrows placed on the workbench, but apart from that nothing much else. It was only when he examined the targets and trees near them did he smile. They all bore ax markings. He couldn't assume that it all belonged to Astrid's ax. Maybe Berk's entire army trained here. But if that was the case, there'd be a wrack for different weapons, and more targets and dummies. And it wouldn't be quite a distance away from the village. He just needed a more conclusive evidence that only Astrid visited this area.

He searched around the treeline; any indication of a path that was used regularly. He did a couple rounds near the edges of the clearing. He was almost disappointed until he caught a familiar scent. It was faint, but it was there, and did belong to Astrid. He followed the scent and found the path. He didn't understand how he missed it the first time until he took a few paces back, and saw that it blended nearly perfectly against the dark foliage; coupled with the night.

He smiled to himself. At least he could watch her from a distance; most likely in the trees surrounding the clearing. But until then, he had some sleep to catch up on.

 _000_

"Up and early you two." Astrid nudged her siblings. Asta reluctantly pulled the covers away from her, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes and letting out a loud yawn. Bjorn on the other hand pulled the covers over his head and mumbled something about beauty sleep. Astrid, however, was in no mood for games. She pulled back the covers, taking slight amusement in the way Bjorn covered his eyes.

"It's so bright!"

"The sun isn't over the horizon yet." She gestured to the window. When Bjorn took a peak, he saw his sister was right. It was still incredibly dark outside; a faint essence of an orange hue outlining the very edges of the frame.

"Come on sleeping beauty. Even princes need training." She said as she tossed his day clothes at him. Asta meanwhile had already gotten out of bed and headed outside to the back, where the outhouse and cleaning station was to freshen up.

"How can you wake up at such an ungodly hour and still be cheery?" Her brother grumbled as he grabbed his clothes and headed outside too.

"Easy. I enjoy training at the crack of dawn." She followed her brother out. "Now come on, we have a lot to practice today and mother wants us to grab a few things from the market on the way back."

 _000_

Despite moving onto a completely new and _inhabited_ island, Hiccup slept rather well that night. Waking up just in time to catch the sun peaking over the treeline. He figured it mustn't be too long past dawn, given the remaining purple and dark blue shades in the sky. He stretched out his tight muscles; some of his joints popping and feeling the tension of the past few days just fade away. He rubbed away the remaining tiredness in his eyes, hearing a few splashes coming from his left. When he turned his gaze, he noticed Toothless near the pond's edge, looking for something. "Any fish in there?" That could be the main reason he was so focused.

 _"Yeah, and I just can't catch the damn thing."_

Hiccup chuckled. "How about we go fishing sometime this afternoon? After you've had a lay of the island."

 _"Sounds good. Did you sleep well?"_

"Yeah. Surprisingly well, in ?"

 _"Oh, as well as a dragon can sleep on an island full of dragon killers."_

"Calm down, Toothless. If it makes you feel any better I surveyed the area around here. And I haven't found a single trail, marking, path or scent that indicates anyone from the village frequents this area."

 _"That still doesn't make me feel better."_

"Alright, I'll leave you to get settled in our new home. I'll head out and continue exploring." He said as he turned away.

 _"Alone? Are you crazy- Why am I even asking. You_ are _crazy."_

Hiccup gave Toothless a deadpan expression, before climbing out of the cove and headed to the clearing, wondering if he'd be fortunate enough to get a glimpse of her today. Their fight was still relatively fresh in his mind. From the moment they clashed blades, he knew he wouldn't win. All he'd have to rely on was his own body's superiority to hers; the Jormung blood did provide greater human strength, quicker reflexes and heightened senses compared to that of a normal Viking. He might as well borrow a few tips on how to fight by just watching her from the trees.

Yeah, there was nothing creepy about that.

He heard three different voices as he neared the clearing. He recognized Astrid's, but the other two, younger ones were new. He scaled up one of the trees close to the clearing, keeping the noise to a minimum. Hopefully nothing too suspicious for the blonde in the centre of the opening, who looked to be lecturing two children who looked a lot like her.

"You've got to improve your stance. Here, like this." She said to the young boy. She spread her feet, demonstrating to them. "You want to make sure you have enough leverage when attacking. Not too little that your attacks won't have any affect, and not too strong otherwise you'll over-exert yourself for no reason. Or worse, allowing your opponent to gain the upper hand." She gave a swing of her ax; which Hiccup assumed was the correct way to swing it.

"Once you've got that done, you'll be able to do this." With both her hands on the handle, she raised it above her head and threw it at a target that was thirty yards away, hitting it dead-centre, earning wow's from the children and himself. "But again, you'll have to work on strengthening your body to do moves like that. Which is why the exercises we do before training are extremely important; and why I want you guys to do some on your own time. You'll be amazed by the results if you keep at." She walked towards the target to retrieve her ax.

"It just takes up time, sis." The young boy said.

"That time will pay off, Bjorn. Before you know it, you'll have all the girls fawning over your skills and strength by the time you're my age." She smiled, earning a blush and slight muttering from the boy. "Now come on you two, time to spar with the dummies."

They training continued for almost another hour. The children had their own assignments to work on while Astrid kept watch and also engaged in a few routines of her own. And from where Hiccup was seated...she looked incredible. Apart from Ripper, he'd never seen anyone who that focused, that composed, and that agile when wielding a heavy weapon, such as an ax. The way she twirled the ax in her hands gave the impression that it was just as much a part of her body as her hand was. She was treating it like an extension of herself.

That was definitely something he could learn to incorporate in his fighting style with his sword.

"Alright guys, that concludes training for today." She called out and the two immediately ceased their drills. "Mind stopping by the market and getting these items?" She handed them a note and a pouch of coins. "Mom's too busy helping with the rebuilding and dad's with the council."

"What about you?" The young girl asked.

"I have a few more things to practice here, but I won't be long. I should be back before midday, now off you go." She bade them goodbye, and Hiccup watched the pair run towards the trail he found last night. He waited until he couldn't hear their footsteps before he himself began his way down.

"We're alone now." His breath hitched in his throat. He peaked around the tree and saw Astrid staring his direction; except he wasn't sure if it was at him. "I know you're here. You better show yourself because if not, this ax is gonna be embedded in your skull if you don't show yourself now." He saw her grip tighten on it. Surely she was bluffing, right?

That thought went out the door as soon as that ax flew past the tree he was clinging to. He didn't need to think twice. He jumped the rest of the way down and bolted for it. He didn't know if he was running towards the cove or in some other direction. He just needed to get away from her. He leaped over fallen tree trunks and tore through bushes, hoping he was placing as much distance between them. He looked behind him to see if she was right there; there was nothing.

That brief hope, however, shattered the moment he was bowled over from the side, rolling along the ground, finally settling with a weight on top of him. Before he could gather himself, his captor grabbed the front of his vest pulling him up.

And soon he was face-to-face with a really unamused Astrid Hofferson, straddling him and fist at the ready to knock him out.

"What in Thor's name are _you_ doing here!?"


	7. Chapter 7

_000_

By Jormungandr, she was definitely a lot stronger than she looked. The fabric digging into his neck was sure to leave a mark. However, her strength wasn't the only thing that took him by surprise. It was then he realized how close they actually were, allowing him to commit even more details of her face. Her piercing blue eyes, apart from the fact were glaring daggers at him, were mesmerizing. He just noticed her pinkish, round cheeks, clearly exhaustion from chasing him through the forest. Even her little, button nose was cute. He glanced down to her pink lips; set in a thin line, with her tongue briefly darting out to moist them in the cold, morning air. The sun rising behind her didn't help matters either. The early morning rays of the sun, coupled with her blonde locks gave her an aura akin to as if the Vikings' goddess Freyja was upon him. Yeah, clearly his sudden thirst was due to his exhaustion and the cold air, not the Valkyrie straddling him currently.

Those thoughts aside, the fact that he wasn't dead or knocked out did give promise to his initial assumptions. Maybe she was different from the rest, and if so, he was going to do everything within his powers of reason to show her the truth about him and his misunderstood lineage. Sensing her growing impatience at the surrounding silence, he held his hands up in surrender.

"Please hear me out." He muttered, staring into those blue, dangerous eyes of the fiery blonde.

"No." She pushed him against the ground and pinned his arms above his head with both of hers. Hiccup gazed up curiously at her. Did she already forget that she could not win a battle of strength with him. Her new position gave him the leverage and support he'd need to flip them both. His answer was confirmed when she continued, "You do know there's still a bounty on your head, right?"

"Yes." He shifted his gaze back towards where their hips met. She really wouldn't notice.

"And you've come to an island full of dragon killers." He didn't answer, but only met her eyes from underneath his bangs and smiled.

His sudden change in demeanor alarmed Astrid. She returned her gaze to both their hands and realized the her mistake. But it was too late. She didn't even have time to yell out before her back was on the ground and he had her pinned in the exact same position. "Looks like someone forgot about a Jormung's superior strength."

"Which played no factor in our first encounter." She rolled her eyes. She wriggled underneath him; testing his grip and the security of his hips and legs. Nothing. His hands held hers nearly to completely still, and weight kept her lower half rooted to the ground. No amount of hand-to-hand training would get her out of this. Unless she herself had his traits. Unless...

"Now let's try this one more-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as he felt a sharp, blinding pain on his forehead, and falling to the cold, hard ground, clutching his head and groaning in agony. The last time he felt like this was when an adolescent Rumblehorn headbutted him back during his dragon training days in Jormung. Although, that seemed tame in comparison to the shooting lightning running freely in his head currently. That's when he remembered Astrid below him...wait, did she just? Planting an elbow to the ground, he used his left eye, currently on the side experiencing less pain, to see where she was. He also found her on the ground, arms wrapped around her head as well.

"Did you just headbutt me?!"

Astrid groaned in response, struggling to reach her feet. Hiccup would have laughed at the sight of her stumbling, if it didn't mean his head would be on the receiving end of another that shooting pain. He slowly got to one knee, and with a few deep breaths and shakes of his head, he was back to his full height, soon followed by Astrid.

"You really don't know how a fight works do you?" She asked, feeling the rest of the pain fade away. She had to make sure to stop by the Gothi and get a few herbs that heals head pains. Just in case.

"I didn't come here to fight. I came here to talk. Now, can we try this again? Please?" He was met with a skeptical glare. He held his hands up in surrender. "I don't have any weapons on me. Please, just hear what I have to say."

"I don't want to listen to _anything_ you have to say." She said, before turning around and walking off. She had her ax to retrieve and errands to run. If that Jormung knew what was good for him, he'd take the rare mercy and courtesy that she rarely hands out to anyone, and just leave Berk. Who did he think he was just showing up on Berk after all that had just happened a little less than a week ago. Just wants to talk he says. She might have been inclined to believe that a while ago; but after that massacre, she wanted nothing to do with the Jormung anymore.

Apparently he didn't feel the same way; she heard his footsteps slowly catching up to her. She let out a frustrated sigh, "Don't you have a bunch of dragons to save someplace else?" She didn't bother to look behind her.

"Well since this is an island full of dragon killers, maybe I should stick around and help any poor dragon that comes across all of you." He retorted. He didn't mind being difficult either.

She finally found her ax embedded in a tree trunk from where she just missed him. 'Maybe I should have just gone for the head. Would have saved myself and Berk a headache.' She thought. "Be my guest, but unlike on Eret's ship-" She pulled her ax out effortlessly, a couple of large splinters and bark breaking off in the process, "-I won't set you free, vouch for you, or protect you if you're caught." She placed her ax in its holsters on her back, already feeling more at ease knowing her trusted weapon was within arms reach.

"I know you won't let me die even in those circumstances."

"And how would you know that?"

"I'm still standing aren't I?"

"Keep that sarcastic attitude up and you won't be for long." She turned his back to him once again, attempting to end the conversation, but he was soon in front of her. "You are really testing my goodwill here."

"Aren't we ever going to talk about what happened?" He asked, ignoring her statement. He wasn't going to take her seriously yet. She showed him no signs that he should.

She threw her arms up in exasperation. "About what?! About what happened when we were on Eret's ship? The truth about your people? Your home? Your legacy? Are you going to try and preach the untapped Jormung's wisdom about dragons?"

"All of the above?" Hiccup shrugged, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back on his right leg.

"God's you're unbelievable." She made to walk past him, but he blocked her way. She gazed up at him from underneath her bangs, a chill running down her spine at the sight of his eyes; all dragon-like and no trace of human in them. However, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the emerald green surrounding them. If his people weren't so adamant about saving dragons, she might have thought differently about him. "Out of my way."

"Not until you hear what I have to say."

"You expect to me to hear you out after witnessing what your friend did? All the Vikings he killed? All the leftover limbs and pieces of ship floating around us? Because if that's what the Jormung are really like, I want nothing to do with you." She shoved his shoulder with her own walking past him, hopefully relaying that she was done with him.

"I'm not like him! Even Ripper wasn't like that!"

Astrid let out a hollow chuckle, "Ripper, huh? Fitting name."

"For Jormungandr's sake!" Hiccup yelled, clutching and rubbing his temple. "Are all Vikings like you this stubborn and boar-headed? No wonder why other cultures try to deal with Vikings as little as possible."

"You're one to talk. Your people were so done with the rest of the world that they isolated themselves and never gave a shit about the rest of the Archipelago during times of food shortages, long winters. Oh and let's not forget dragon attacks!"

"Well what did you expect when they were being hunted by your kind!?" He matched her yelling.

"They wouldn't have been if they helped the rest of the Archipelago!"

"Helped them in needlessly murdering intelligent, compassionate and loyal creatures?"

"Compassionate? Loyal? That's what they are to you?" She was in disbelief. There was no way there was any truth to what he said. Not after what Berk had gone through for three hundred years, going on seven generations. Not after what her own family had been through at the talons of those beasts.

"Oh we're getting nowhere with this." He muttered. "Look, I'm here to help you. To help Berk."

"We don't need your help!" She huffed. "You know, maybe it _was_ a good thing the Jormung never came down from their high horse to help us murderers. Otherwise we wouldn't be the tough, stubborn, hardy people we are today." She moved past him again. "Besides, the only reason you're here is because you have nowhere else to go. After your friend's message, Dagur will be out for both your heads' and he won't care which one he finds first." Hiccup looked down in realization. He didn't think of that. "And don't think for a second that you know the kind of person I am." She halted in her tracks to glance back at him. "You have no idea what me, or my family, or Berk has been through at the hands of those compassionate creatures." She spoke the last two words with pure hatred. "So how about you do us all a favour and go someplace far, far away. You can live out your life protecting those beasts and we will live ours as we have for the last three hundred years."

The look she gave him sent chills down his spine. "I never want to see you again on Berk." She continued on her path towards the village, not once glancing to see if he was following her. Considering she didn't hear any footsteps, he most likely got the message. Either way, she didn't want to wait and find out.

Hiccup watched her till she was out of sight, letting out a deep breath. "How long have you been watching?"

 _"Right before her little monologue about Berk."_ Toothless walked out of some bushes. _"Were you worried I wasn't going to be here in time?"_

"No, I was worried that you'd hurt her if she did attack me."

 _"You sure you're not developing any feelings for this girl? Because I can see she clearly doesn't have any for you."_

"Appreciate the update captain obvious." Hiccup said, still staring in the direction that she left. "Either way, we're not leaving." He said, before turning around and walking back to their camp.

 _"Didn't expect you would."_ Toothless remarked, trailing behind him. _"But what are we going to do here anyway, Hiccup? We don't know how bad the dragon attacks are. We don't know how often they happen. Heck, do you even think we can do something about it?"_

"Until another dragon raid occurs, we'll remain hidden. When it does, we'll head on out there and analyze the situation, do what we can to minimize casualties on both sides and learn more about this war."

 _"You do know they'll recognize a Night Fury right? And considering she already knows who rides one, you don't think she'll come looking for us with a few other villagers?"_

"That's what exit plans are for, right?" He smiled as they reached their camp. "Besides, can they really catch a Night Fury?"

 _Later That Day_...

Taking the long way out of the forest and back to the village did nothing to quell the boiling emotions running wild within her. The nerve he had to just offer help when his kind had done nothing for generations was just laughable. And why did he follow her anyway? Sure she was willing to talk to him back on the ship, but that was before she saw her life flash before her eyes. It didn't matter anyway. She prayed to the all the gods in Asgard that he did take the message and leave. Although, based on his stubbornness, curiosity and downright craziness, that would be highly unlikely. Suppressing her encounter to the far corners of her mind, she put on a smile as she entered the village and went about her daily routines.

She headed straight home first, glad to see her siblings unloading the food they bought from the village market. Even little Brenna was doing her part. She took over for them, seeing as how Asta and Bjorn stuck to the list she had given them and not buy anything they wanted. She placed most of the meats in salt bins outside the house. That was the only way to keep the meats for a bit longer periods without spoiling. Once the food was sorted, she gathered up Brenna in her arms, Asta and Bjorn close behind her, and made their way out of the house.

It was well into mid-morning now and the village was completely alive. A few traders had set up shops next to the village stalls; their trinkets, furs, expensive cloth, weapons and food from far off lands to the south on full display. "Ooh Astrid! Look at this sword!" Asta yelled, dashing from her sister's side to get a closer look at said weapon. Astrid smiled, grabbing Bjorn's hand, and walked over. She had to admit, it was in impressive sword. The blade itself was about half an arm longer that her entire arm; a double-edge blade, narrow centre compared to the tip, perfectly polished and well kept. She didn't recognize the material though. Given her time around weapons, and the forge, she'd recognize if it was made of iron, steel, or a combination of both. This sword bore no resemblance to either of those materials.

However, when her eyes reached the hilt she had an idea of why she didn't recognize the material. The hilt was in the shape of a dragon's head. There was only one tribe that ever crafted weapons with dragons etched into them.

"Excuse me." She called the trader who promptly made his way over to her. "What can you tell me about this sword?"

"Yeah, I've never seen a sword like this before." Asta exclaimed, running her fingers along the blade.

The trader smirked. "Ah yes! Not many have, in fact. This very blade belonged to the once great Jormung tribe."

'Ah, expected as much.' She thought. "The man I bought it from called it _Stormchaser_. Don't know if that's what its creator called it, but either way, a fitting name nonetheless."

"What will it take to take it off your hands?" She wasn't going to buy it; just an idea of what a blade so rare would fetch for these days. The grimace the trader gave her told all she needed to know.

"The going price for something as rare this blade is about, your family's weight in gold." All of their eyes, excluding Brenna's, nearly popped out of their heads.

"Our weight in gold? Just for that blade?" She knew it was going to ridiculous, but not that ridiculous.

"I'm afraid so. You don't see many Jormung blades being sold everywhere, miss. And after the tribe's mysterious downfall, their home is inaccessible for any of us."

"I see. But, thank you for your time. Come on guys." She bid him farewell and pulled her siblings along for the rest of the day ahead.

"I can't believe it's worth our weight in gold! That's just crazy!" Asta couldn't help but turn around to get one last look at it. Deep down she was hoping it was somewhat affordable for her family. Despite having an ax just like her sister, swords always drew her interest. And with _Stormchaser_ at her side - until she came of age of course - she would be unstoppable.

"Tell me about it. Even if we did have that kind of wealth, papa wouldn't spend that much on a weapon whose home would be the mantle above the fireplace." Her family was more practical than that. Besides, judging by the design, she didn't think that sword could survive a strike from her ax. Fortunately, there weren't any other distractions for her siblings to be sidetracked by. They reached the Great Hall where Astrid was to drop off Brenna for her reading and writing lessons. "Hey Fishlegs!" She greeted.

Fishlegs was in charge of the young ones' learning on Berk. His love for knowledge and children made him the perfect candidate, and he accepted the task with joy. He preferred children gathered around him, eyes in between books rather than facing down a fire-breathing beast. Which these kids would end up pursuing anyway, so he enjoyed them while they lasted. "Good morning Astrid! Lovely day we're having today, isn't it?"

"You're in a more ecstatic mood, today? Snoggletog come early for you?" She put Brenna down and held her hand as she talked with Fishlegs. "No, no! I'm just excited about today's lesson. We've finally got to herbs and medicines!"

"Isn't that a bit too advanced for these kids?" She glanced down to Brenna.

"The extreme basics only. I don't move onto the real stuff until they're Asta's age."

"That reminds me-" She looked over to said girl, "-You've been going to his lessons, haven't you?"

"Of course she has!" Fishlegs quickly intervened. "She's my best student. I wish others like her would take more of an interest in healing."

"Yeah, I mean, when you're cut up with broken bones on the battle field, it pays to know the small stuff like this." Asta said, earning a chuckle from both adults.

"That's great to hear, Fishlegs. I'll be back to pick her up after my class."

"Will you be able to make it to the bonfire tonight? I really don't like being the only one with the Twins and Snotlout."

"I'll be there, don't you worry. Now-" She knelt to Brenna's height and kissed her cheek, "-Pay attention to him, okay little one?"

"I always do!" She said, as she held Fishlegs' hand. The remaining Hofferson children bid them goodbye, Astrid casting one last glance at her sister before she disappeared behind the Hall doors. It wouldn't be long till Brenna would be gifted her first ax. 'They grow up so fast.' The Hofferson children made for the Arena next. Bjorn and Asta were lucky they were the first class of the day. Each class ran about two hours with their sister teaching all of them. And today she had three classes. One more than usual because one of the other instructors had broken both his arms during the previous dragon raid. She'd fill in for now, but Stoick was actively looking for a temporary substitute to look after that class for the next month or so.

When it came to selecting a combat instructor for the new generation of Berkians, the Chief, as well as unanimous votes from the Council, picked Astrid. She was by far the most capable, competent, fair and best trained Viking among her peers. She was tough, but she was fair, and she wouldn't tolerate any sort of disobedience and negligence from her students.

"So what's the lesson today sis?" Bjorn asked.

"Sword and shields today. I noticed most of you took to the swords easily. Shields, however, are a different story."

"But Snotlout said-"

"Don't even repeat what he said. Take whatever he says with a grain of salt."

"Huh?"

"It means don't take anything he says seriously. Gods, I can't believe he's going to be our next chief." Maybe she should take Stoick up on his Berk General offer. The gods of all the realms know this village will need someone like her in a position of command when Snotlout becomes Chief. The voice of reason to his narcissistic attitude and impulsive tendencies.

"Yeah Bjorn. Didn't you hear Snotlout nearly caused a war when he went with Chief Stoick to the Bog Burglars? Apparently he _really_ insulted the heir of their tribe and things got nasty." Asta was always interested in the news and gossip going around the village. Then again, news like that would travel across the entire Archipelago. Stoick definitely had some damage control to take care of.

"Either way, that little life lesson is for the both of you. Don't take whatever he says seriously." They finally arrived at the Arena where Berk's young generation was waiting. Most them ranged from seven to fourteen years. It wouldn't be long until the eldest of them began dragon training with Gobber.

"Good morning Astrid!" They all yelled.

"Good morning class." She replied as Asta and Bjorn joined the group. "Today we will be working on our close range combat with the sword and shield. Now go ahead and grab the wooden swords and shields..."

 _000_

 _"There is nothing stalker-ish about you watching your girlfriend train the next generation of dragon killers from afar. Yep, nothing stalker-ish about it."_ Toothless said, watching his rider stand at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the villages' kill ring. Hiccup paid him no attention. Yes, the kill ring was in view, but so was the rest of the village. This was his him to survey the village he'd be living next to. Monitoring the path that some Vikings took when they left the village in the general direction of his camp. For the moment, none seemed to venture close to the cove, which was a good thing. It confirmed his initial examination when he found no traces of foot traffic in the area. Apart from finding paths that led away from the village, he made a mental map of the village. Guard towers mainly along the cliff facing towards the ocean, a few, what appeared to be storehouses up along the hills on the west side of the village, a lone house at the top of a hill overlooking the village; clearly someone important must live there. Two rather large doors built into the side of a mountain overlooking the village. 'Must be their common meeting place.' He thought.

However, what really caught his attention was the forge in the centre of the village. He'd truly miss the forge he had constructed back on Changewing Isle. All he had to do was forage for materials. But now, he'd most likely have to resort to stealing them, which didn't sit well with his conscious, but hey, tough times right?

 _"Weren't we going to stock up on food?"_

"Give it a couple of hours, bud. Most of their ships are still at the docks. There'll be no risk of someone spotting us if we go later." Toothless just grumbled, laying his head on his front legs. As much as he loved his naps, they still hadn't gone for their daily morning flight. He could have flown by himself, but it wouldn't be the same without his best friend.

 _"Alright, keep watching your girlfriend. I'm going to take a nap."_

"Finally, some peace and quiet." Hiccup muttered, not missing the growl Toothless gave him. Yes, he was mostly watching Astrid. Only because she was in the middle of demonstrating her axe skills. There were a few moves he could practice on his own time with his sword. That's when she raised her head, seemingly laughing at something one of the children said and stopped, gazing in his direction, eyes squinting. Even from a far distance, he noticed the angry frown she sported. He knew she knew that no one else could be up here other than him. Taking that as his cue to leave before others copied her actions, he retreated from the cliff's edge, nudging Toothless awake.

"Come on sleepy head, perfect time to go fishing." He swung his leg over Toothless' back.

 _"Finally."_ Toothless spread his wings and took off in the other direction away from the village.


	8. Chapter 8

_000_

It had been a couple of days since she saw him standing on the cliff, gazing down at her village. She knew this island well enough. Enough to know that there was no safe path to his vantage point. Unless it was on the backs of those beasts. She didn't understand why he'd ignore her warning. She wouldn't hesitate to cross blades with him if she came across him again. If he was lucky enough to 'stumble' upon her. Despite her fiery temper, she fell in the small collection of Berkians who could be reasoned with. Then again, she'd be the only reasonable one when it came to a Jormung, based on her previous encounters.

What was keeping him on Berk? It couldn't just be because he wants to help, could it?

"Midgard to Astrid, anyone there?"

"Hm, what?" She looked to the rest of her peers who were staring with concerned expressions.

"Jeez A, I didn't know you like your fish extra charred." Tuff gestured to her cod as he took a bite out of his own. You keep that over the fire any longer it won't be regarded as food anymore."

"Shit." Astrid quickly grabbed her stick that had put through the fish to cook over the fire. She grimaced when touching the skin. Tuffnut was right. She never liked anything extra charred. Rather than take another fish, she began removing the burnt skin before she'd put it back over the fire for the other side to cook.

"What's gotten into you?" Snotlout asked. "You've been rather distant lately."

"What do you mean distant? I've been with you guys every single day since I've been back."

"Yeah, you're here with us, but it seems your mind's been someplace else." Fishlegs said.

Curse that Jormung. "It's just taking me a while to adjust after being at sea for nearly three weeks. Nearly being killed, waking up at the crack of dawn to train my siblings, then training the other children and teens, helping the village with repairs..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Snotlout took a swig of his mead. "It's been a tough few weeks shadowing Stoick and leading by example."

"You call lounging under a tree and taking a nap while the group you're supposed to be helping has to do all the work of reattaching those huge barn doors by themselves?" Tuffnut asked.

Snotlout stared at him, shocked. "How did you know I was taking a nap?"

"I was the one who nearly got crushed when the rope hoisting it up snapped!"

"Oh yeah, that was pretty funny."

"Snotlout, you're going to be a horrible Chief if you never lead by example." Astrid said, placing her fish back over the fire with the opposite side facing the heat. She was going to pay attention to her meal this time. No way she was going to burn it again. She didn't need others telling her that she couldn't cook to save a life. She knew that herself all too well. Setting a dislocated limb back into place? No problem. Treating burnt victims? Easy. But cooking? The one opponent she'd always have trouble mastering.

"I'm the perfect leader."

"If it's perfect at failing and embarrassment, then you sir, are hands down the best." Tuffnut broke a piece off his extremely salted cod and popped it into his mouth, much to the dismay of his friends.

"How can you even stomach that?"

"My stomach is an iron tomb, dear Fishlegs." Tuff gave his torso a few hits for emphasis.

"Anyway..." Astrid brought the conversation back to the real matter at hand, "We're concerned about the future of this tribe if you don't start taking your responsibilities seriously from now on."

"So how about you and me officially tie the knot then? Huh?" He waggled his eyebrows. The comment earned laughter from the Twins, exasperation from Fishlegs and a deadpan expression from Astrid. "What? I'm serious!"

"Snotlout, just like my father politely declined Spitelout three times already, I'm going to have to refuse." She held her hands over her heart and pouted. "No matter how much it breaks my own heart that'll I'll never be with a real Viking." Followed up by a chorus of laughter from the others, and an unamused look from Snotlout.

"Astrid, I know you dislike me, for whatever reason I can't understand, but you do know I'm not the only one who would continue paying visits to your dad right?"

"What are you talking about Snotlout?"

He leaned back on his seat, taking a swig of his mead before continuing. "That visiting Chief and his son from, what was it, Helgafell? Some village close to the mainland, well, he's been in constant contact with Stoick." A frown replaced the smirk on her face. "And he's still been sending offers for your hand in marriage. And not only that, but his son's quite the talker too. Your name has made rounds to his friends also. We're getting letters of Chieftains with their male heirs already planning trips to Berk to see for themselves." He watched Astrid drop her head in the palms of her hands, groaning in obvious annoyance and misery at her impending duties. She's worked all her life to be the best warrior on Berk, despite being a woman. She's killed tens of dragons, saved countless of her fellow villagers' lives, is the head trainer of the next generation of warriors, and is on the verge of becoming Berk's first ever woman General. And all the rest of the Viking world thought of her as just another pretty face that they wanted the challenge of bedding.

"When's the first one coming?" She mumbled into her hands.

"You didn't hear it from me, but, they should be here within two weeks." Snotlout gave her a sympathetic look. At least she thought it was sympathy.

"Awesome, more exotic guys to fuck!" Ruff raised her hands in joy.

"Uh, you do know that they're still Vikings, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not often Vikings from near or around the mainland ever visit Berk, now is it?" She shot back at Snotlout.

"Glad to see my misery benefits your sexual escapades." Astrid said as she took her fish off the fire and began to dig in.

"I don't see why you're so glum and gloom about this. If anything, aren't you glad people - forget about Berk, people hundreds of miles away - are finally recognizing you?"

"Not for the reasons I'd want them to. They're not talking about prowess in battle. They're talking about my determination, my skill, my loyalty, my honour. All they're talking about is my looks. That's the only thing they care about. Traveling across seas to get a glimpse of the blue-eyed Valkyrie, and see who'll be the first one to _tame_ her." She ripped a piece of fish from the bone and bit into it with more force than necessary. "And there's no way I can refuse any of them. I'll have to give them my undivided attention while they're failing to woo me."

"Do you think your dad's going to accept one anytime soon?" Fishlegs asked.

"I don't know. I'm honestly surprised he's refused offers for this long."

"He'll really have to start considering these offers. And I also have to warn you that some of them will question your father's loyalty to Berk and his family."

"My father has dedicated his life for Berk and his family!" Her voice was reaching a dangerous tone.

" _I_ know that Astrid. But others, in and outside of Berk, will see his refusal to marry you as a sign of neglect towards his duties as a citizen of Berk and failing the line of his family. And don't pretend you don't see it too." She guessed she never gave Snotlout any credit for being aware of his friends' situations. Turns out he did pay attention to the inter-relationships when it came to tribal politics.

"How about we move off the subject of Astrid's personal life?" She sent Fishlegs a thankful nod and smile. It was becoming more common hearing her name in the daily gossip going around the village. Guess there was nothing more exciting about her unmarried status on Berk for the older generation to talk about.

"Speaking of Astrid's personal life." Tuff turned his body towards her, "You never really told us about the Jormung you captured and let go."

She sighed. "Tuff, for the last time, we didn't let him go because we became best friends."

"What would it be like having a Jormung for a friend? I wonder." He stroked his chin.

"So refresh our memories. What really happened?" Ruff asked.

"We captured the Jormung on Changewing Isle, and as soon as we were on the ship, we started straight for Berk - I thought at first - but Eret then informed me that we'll be making a stop by Berserker Island."

"Nothing good ever comes from seeing that crackpot." Snotlout laughed. "Why in Thor's beard would you stop on their island."

"Because the 'greatest of trapper of his generation'-" Astrid impersonated Eret's voice, "-couldn't keep his mouth shut about the quest and had told Dagur he'd bring the Jormung to him for display once he captured him."

"He really isn't from around here, is he?" Tuff laughed. "Even I wouldn't be that stupid to bring Dagur in." The group rolled their eyes at him.

"Who cares! I wish he stayed longer. I could have certainly helped him relax." Ruff smirked, licking her lips before biting her lower lip.

"Ugh, please no." Snotlout gagged.

"And you can imagine my... displeasure, when Eret told me about his meeting."

Ruffnut gasped, leaning forward in her seat and giving Astrid a serious look. "Please. Tell me you didn't ruin that perfect, god-chiseled face of his. I swear to Odin, Astrid if you-"

"I didn't touch him, Ruff." She wasn't amused by the skeptical stare she was giving her.

"Didn't touch his face or his di-"

"Ew! No Ruffnut! None of those!"

"Come on Astrid! You were with the embodiment of Thor for three weeks and not once did you get on his co-"

"Ruffnut!" It was Fishlegs this time who intervened. "We all know how much you love Eret, but please let Astrid continue with her story."

"Thank you, Fishlegs. Anyway, I didn't want to talk or look at him, and I wanted nothing to do with his crew. Going back to my quarters was an option. I had plenty of rations where I could just sit out our stay on Berserk on the ship. But I didn't. Instead, I made my way down to the ship's hold to see the our prisoner. Being one of the last Jormung in existence, I knew his time was close, especially considering we were going to see Dagur, so I wanted to know about his people; put to bed this mystery surrounding them."

"That's so unlike you, Astrid. Out of all of us, you hate dragons the most, and with good reason. Why did you want to talk to the Jormung?" Fishlegs asked. She glanced down at her palms. Thinking about it now, she didn't know why she took the stairs down to the hold. What was she expecting to get out of her conversation with him? Did she feel sorry for capturing him? Being the sole reason behind his demise? She couldn't quite answer that. Was she tired of all the men around her talking non-stop about the sea, ports, women and adventures? Yes, she was. Perhaps that was the reason she sought out the Jormung's company. But she had gained more than she bargained for.

"I don't know Fishlegs." She shrugged. "Maybe because he was different. But also because I figured this was my one chance to learn more about the race. And we did talk for Odin knows how long. That came to an end when Dagur and his small fleet intercepted us on the way to Berserk. We showed him the Jormung, and as one can always expect with Dagur, he threatened to kill us if we didn't turn over the Jormung to him. That was when the second Jormung arrived." She saw her friends sit up straighter in their seats. Everyone knew that there were two Jormung left. And they knew that one of them left no survivors. "When I saw him, I was thankful I ran into the Jormung we captured. He didn't prove a challenge for me. But this one, standing on that deck with a Whispering Death behind him, his cold, cruel eyes staring holes into our souls; it was in that moment that I knew we were in danger."

"But it was you, Eret and his men, and an entire Berserker fleet. If anything he's the one who should be scared." Tuffnut said.

"You'd think that. But he flew right to us on the back of a Night Fury; the dragon of the Jormung we captured. He threatened to start killing if we didn't release the Jormung, and he held up his end of the threat. And I'm telling you, it was with a dragon that none of us have ever seen."

"What was it?"

"He called it a Screaming Death. Same family as a Whispering Death, but much, _much_ bigger. It was about thirty times the size of the full grown Whispering Death he had - blood red eyes and a mouth filled to the brim of sword like teeth. It tore Dagur's fleet to shreds, leaving no survivors. And that was even after we released the Jormung."

"I don't think there's any dragon like that in the Book of Dragons." Fishlegs said.

"Because Berk has had the luck of never dealing with such a beast." Snotlout said. He didn't show it, but he was also unsettled about this news of a deadly new dragon.

"And the two Jormung left after that. Sparing us on the only surviving ship." She left out her conversations with the Jormung on the ship and on Berk with good reason. She didn't want her peers to think she was going soft; especially on a dragon-loving people. Or the fact that hopefully the Jormung listened to her and is long gone. The Gods know she'd probably regret her decision for not killing him-

Her thoughts were interrupted when they heard the sound of an all too familiar horn ring out across the village.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Snotlout yelled as he grabbed his hammer and ran down the stairs."

"Another dragon raid! Everyone, to your stations!" Astrid yelled, grabbing her ax and racing down the tower, with Fishlegs and the Twins close behind. She could already see the rest of the village getting into action. Archers were taking up their positions on the roofs of the huts, catapults were hauled into place along the cliffs edges and the outskirts of the village, mainly defending the food storage buildings and barns where the animals were kept. Traps and nets were placed in strategic locations; either in locations where some predicted the dragons would land, and where they would be corralled to. Most of the commotion was centered around the forge where men and women were grabbing weapons to be ready for the incoming attack.

She also saw her siblings, Asta and Bjorn, getting buckets of water ready. She smiled at the memory of when she was part of the fire control team. Running around the village with buckets filled to the brim to put out fires. If they were here, that meant Brenna had been taken to the Great Hall for safety. The younger children, elderly and sick were housed in the Hall until things died down. Standard dragon raid procedure.

"Ruff, Tuff, I need you with the rest of the main force on the east side of the village." The twins might drive her insane every other day of the week, but their expertise with the spear and javelin made them excellent ranged combatants."Fishlegs, be ready with your medical supplies at the forge!" Fishlegs' knowledge when it came to medicine and herbs was nearly unparalleled in the village. The only one who knew more was the Gothi, whom Fishlegs learned his craft from. The two were usually based in a makeshift tent near the forge to deal with the inevitable injuries her people will sustain in every raid.

"On it!" The three of them yelled, heading their separate ways. Her friends may have been known to goof around most of the time during their chores and downtime, but when it came to dragon/tribal raids, they were more than dependent. Snotlout was most likely with the Chief, getting ready in the area where they expected the largest concentration of dragons to be. Her task was to usually deal with the dragons that broke through and attacked the center of the village. Normally, she'd be in the heat of battle with Stoick, Snotlout and her parents, but this week she was tasked to be the last line of defense. And during all raids, there were always stragglers who ended up tearing apart and destroying huts in the village.

She could already see the dragons flying fast towards them, their light underbellies outlining their silhouettes in the night sky. And it wasn't long until they began raining fire and along the edge of the village; attempting to destroy the catapults and nets and scatter the Viking warriors gathered. The roars of both beast and Viking echoed in the night sky as both sides clashed in the distance.

She gripped her ax tighter, eyes scanning the sky over and over, ready for whatever dragon had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting her. At the same time, she hoped that wouldn't be the case; the more dragons that got past the main force meant the greater the damage done to the village. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a group of Vikings, led by Gustav, heading towards her. "Get ready Astrid! We've got a whole of dragons incoming!" He yelled, turning around to face the beasts. She got in her stance just as a Monstrous Nightmare landed in front of them, entire body aflame and teeth bared. She raised her ax and with a battle cry, charged forwards. She didn't care about the Deadly Nadders and Gronckles that landed beside the Nightmare. Gustav and the other Vikings would be able to take care of them. She was the only one who's had experience taking down a Nightmare.

The Nightmare lunged towards her. Her knees made contact with the ground as she ducked and skidded underneath the beast; not nearly in enough control to try and slice open its soft underbelly. It came after again, this time firing a blast directly at her. She easily rolled to the side and continued towards the dragon. With a yell, she raised her ax and brought it down, cursing as the dragon pulled back, narrowly missing the ax that was about to embedded in its snout. However, she had brought herself in striking distance for the Nightmare. Just as she anticipated, the dragon opened its massive jaws and attempted to bite her in half. She side stepped the jaws and connected with a roundhouse kick, surprising the dragon. She raised her ax and was about to throw it at the exposed neck when she heard, as of recently, an all too familiar sound.

"Night Fury!" Surrounding Vikings yelled.

"Get down!" She yelled. She should have heeded her own advice. As soon as the words left her mouth, she was knocked back by a purple blast that landed between her and the Nightmare. She landed hard on her ass, briefly rolling a few times before coming to a stop face down in the dirt, ax a few yards away from her. She looked in the direction of the Nightmare, seeing it monitor the sky before glancing at her, and then taking off, flying away from the village.

"Astrid, are you alright!?" Was that her father? She looked around, seeing Gustav and her fellow villagers preoccupying the remaining dragons.

"I'm fine!" She glanced up to see her father running towards her, dodging the isolated battles taking place around him; his sweat and bloodstained face, tightly clutching his left arm tightly would have been a worrisome sight, but that was her father. Whoever his opponent was, be it Viking or dragon, usually looked worse. He held out his right hand which she gladly accepted.

"That was a-"

"A Night Fury. He's here dad." She said, glancing down at his arm, which had a massive gash across the outside of his upper arm. "Dad you need medical attention now!"

"Oh come now, daughter. I've had worse!" He smiled as he handed her her ax. She couldn't help but to return the smile.

"I know that, but are you willing to get another yelling from mom?"

Her father laughed. "I suppose you're right. I'd rather face down a Whispering Death than listen to your mother's lectures!" He said as he jogged off towards the medical tent. She didn't waste any further time, running to join Gustav and the others in chasing off the rest of the dragons.

"Don't let them get away! Let's show them what happens when they attack our home!" She threw her ax at a Nadder, striking it right on its leg, taking pleasure in the beast's cry as it fell down. Unfortunately, its cries for help drew the attention of different dragons around them, all rushing to its aid. The dragon grabbed the ax in its jaws and pulled it off, tossing it away into the streets of the village. Astrid didn't care. Gustav tossed her his sword which caught in mid-stride and kept charging the Nadder, along with her fellow Vikings. Gronckles appeared, firing their heavy lava blasts at them. One hit could easily kill a Viking, not before subjecting them to excruciating pain as their skin and insides charred away.

"Any archers in the area, take care of the Gronckles!" She yelled. Her order was followed by a volley of arrows, aimed at the unprotected underbellies of the dragons, causing them to scatter. She was just about to close in on her target when she saw Zippleback gas flood the street. "Everyone out!" She yelled in panic, ducking into the nearest path between the huts that was clear of the volatile gas. No sooner she did, the gas ignited, setting all the surrounding buildings along the street ablaze. She quickly peeked around the huts' corner, watching her kill fly away and the remaining dragons set fire to more homes in the area. Luckily they were all empty. In the events of dragon raids or tribal attacks, everyone was either on the battlefield, or in the Hall. However, it didn't do her any consolation after seeing the figurehead, banner, and the rest of her home on fire.

"Dammit!" She yelled as she leaned against the wall.

"Well, that could have turned out worse." She looked to see Ruffnut coming towards her, cuts and scrapes littering her arms. Her leggings and tunic had some tears to them, but otherwise, she looked alright.

"What are you doing here? I thought I sent you to the east-"

"The Chief sent me back here. After seeing the amount of dragons that got passed us, he sent some of us to strengthen the rear."

"Well I'm glad you did because-"

 _Scream_

Astrid felt like all the air in her lungs had been drained. She looked back towards her house. There was no chance, was there? Brenna couldn't still be-

 _Scream_

"Brenna!" She yelled and bolted for her house. This couldn't be happening.

This _couldn't_ be happening. She was supposed to be with the other young children in the Great Hall. She wasn't supposed to be in the house. She wasn't supposed to be in the house that was on fire. Her heart was racing in her chest. All she had to do was get inside before- "Ahh!" She raised her hands up as the entrance to her house caved in, sending wood and embers in her direction, causing her to fall back down the steps to her house. "Brenna!" She screamed. "Where are the water buckets!? Where's the fire team!?" She got to her feet looking around, hoping someone with any water was coming in her direction. "Go get some water buckets!" Gustav and a few others did just that, immediately bolting off to the nearest water trough and in the search for buckets.

"Most of them were sent to the south side! They're trying to put out fires that were set to some of the food storage barns!" Ruff yelled. She was also panicking. Her best friend's baby sister was in the burning house in front of her. And there was nothing they could do. "Check the sides! Search for any entrance!" Ruff yelled to the few Vikings remaining. They nodded, doing a quick round on both sides, along the narrow path between the burning houses. Only returning with their heads held low, and shaking their heads. That was all the answer the two needed.

"Help!" They heard another scream from within the blazing house. Astrid couldn't wait. If she burnt her arms so be it. She took the sword in her hands and began the steps; she was prepared to hack the logs in front of her, regardless if the embers and flames and heat burned her hands. Her sister was in their. However, she didn't have a chance to find out as she felt long arms encircle her and pull her back. Away from her house.

Away from her sister.

"Ruffnut! Let go of me!" She thrashed around in her friends' arms. How was she this strong!? "My baby sister's in there! She'll die!" Despite the tremendous heat coming from a few feet in front of them, she could feel the tears running down her cheeks. No she couldn't just leave Brenna in there. And yet all the thrashing and cursing she aimed at Ruffnut did nothing to loosen her hold.

"I'm sorry, Astrid." She heard Ruffnut choke. "I'm sorry." She gripped her even tighter.

How would she be able to look her parents in the eye. How would she tell Asta and Bjorn that they lost their baby sister. No, not they. _She_. It was her Uncle Finn all over again. She could only watch as her house burned down around her sister. And when the rest of the wooden planks caved in over the entrance, she knew she failed.

"No! No! Brenna! Brenna!" As another section of the roof caved in.

000

Why was he doing this? He didn't owe them anything. He didn't owe _her_ anything. After all, she was the one who captured him. She was the reason he was chained up in the belly of a ship, scared for his life against the Berserkers, and the fact that he had to face Ripper again. She was the reason behind all that. But she was also the reason he came to Berk, in search of a new home, a teacher to show him how to fight. And maybe. Just maybe, a soul who was willing to see what dragons are underneath their scales and fire.

That last bit might be a bit of a stretch considering it was those very same dragons that set her house on fire and endangered her baby sister.

He had heard the screams of a child as he was preparing for another go-around to drive off the dragons. Not long after did he hear Astrid's scream, and that got his full attention. Circling back over the burning houses, he saw her struggling in her friend's arms and wailing about someone called Brenna. He didn't need to put two and two together to understand the situation.

Her baby sister was trapped inside the burning house, and even if the others managed to reach the house with ample buckets of water, it would be too late.

He had to do something.

He circled Toothless to a safe height above the house; not too high for the jump and high enough where the Night Fury still blended in with the night sky. Despite his best friend's strong reservations for what he was about to do, he jumped, falling through the weakened roof structure, and landing in what was the living room of the house, surrounded by flames. Fortunately he had the hindsight to wear his dragon-skin armour this night. Night Fury scales, merged and sown into his tunic and leggings, made him almost invisible in the night, along making him fire-resistant. And thanks to his dragon blood, his body had a greater resistance to heat than a normal Viking would. Which meant he had to hurry. That little girl didn't have much time.

Through the flames and the smoke, Hiccup caught the scent of a human in the house. It was faint, but it appeared to be coming from the floor above. Through his helmet's eye sockets, he saw the stairs leading up to the second floor. He vaulted over burning furniture and ran up the stairs that collapsed as soon as he reached the top floor.

"Can't go that way again." He continued following the scent. The blaze wasn't as severe as it was downstairs, but the upper floor was filled with smoke. His dragon blood would only allow him to survive a little bit longer, but he had to find the girl fast. He could already hear more voices growing around the house. "Hello! - cough - anyone there?!"

"Here!" He made his way to a large room, filled with three beds and a tiny human huddled in a few blankets in the corner, clutching a doll close to her heart, staring with unsure eyes at him, except the more he got closer, the more fear he saw in them.

"Hey there. It's okay." He crouched down to her level and smiled underneath his helmet. "I'm here to get you out." He reached his hands towards her but she retreated further into a ball.

"No! Go away! You're a dragon!" Yeah, she could see his eyes. He glanced back the way he came. The flames had reached the top floor and had engulfed the entrance to the room. He was running out of time.

"No, no! I'm not a dragon! See?" He removed his helmet, brushing a hand through his hair and smiling at her. "I'm human like you." He tucked his helmet in the crook of his arm, and removed a glove, showing his hand to her. "See? No scales." He chuckled. The smoke was quickly filling the room.

"Your eyes...t-they're-Ahh!" Part of the roof collapsed, effectively cutting them off from the rest of the house. She clearly wasn't going to trust him. Unless...

"I'm a friend of your sister, Astrid." That got her attention.

"Astrid's friend?"

"Yeah." Slowly, he reached his hand toward her. When she made no move to pull away from him, he cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. "My name is, Hiccup, little one. What's yours?"

"Brenna." She pulled the blankets closer.

"Brenna, that's a beautiful name. And you're really pretty, just like your big sister, Astrid." He said, looking into her eyes. And with each passing second, she seemed to grow more accustomed to him. "Listen Brenna, I'm here to get you out. Do you want to come with me!" He crouched in front of her, arms at the ready to lift her. She nodded slowly, and he wasted no time; quickly putting his helmet back on and gathering her in his arms, wrapping the blankets tightly around her frame. Once secured in his arms, he looked back at the entrance. The flames were closing in and the smoke was getting thicker. She heard him whimper and bury her head into his chest. He looked back at the wall she was pressed up against a few moments ago. He could see the embers in them, which meant.

He closed the gap and gave a kick. It budged. He gave another kick. It cracked this time. The only issue was that the remaining roof above him was also cracking, and about to fall on them. He took a deep breath, walked back a few steps and warned Brenna, "Hold on little one!" He held her tightly as he charged at the wall, leading with his shoulder and breaking through, just as the roof collapsed behind them. He rotated in mid air, landing on his back with Brenna against his chest, sliding a few yards before coming to a stop.

He could hear Astrid's wails in the distance. It was time for him to go. He slowly pulled Brenna from his chest, still wrapped in her blankets, and placed her on the ground, "Listen Brenna, Astrid's right over there. Just call out to her and she'll come, okay?" He wiped a few tears from her cheek.

"What about you?"

"I have to go, okay? But don't worry. I'll see you again." He smiled, a little gleam in his eyes as he took off into the night, staying a few seconds longer to hear Brenna call out for Astrid. Turning around the corner he was hiding behind, he smiled when he saw Astrid bring Brenna into a bear hug. She didn't deserve to be put through the same misery he experienced.

000

"Brenna! By the Gods, you're safe!" Astrid yelled as she fell to her knees and hugged her baby sister. Brenna was all too happy to see her sister, throwing her arms around her neck and crying into her shoulder. Around her, the rest of the fire control team showed up and began putting out the fire, which was going to take a while.

"How did you get out!?" She asked, pulling back and brushing a few strands of hair away from her sister's soot covered face.

"Your friend." She said.

"What friend?"

"The one with lizard eyes saved me."


	9. Chapter 9

_000_

Oh she was going to kill him.

No.

Killing him would be too merciful. Perhaps she would just torture him a bit. Tie him up in iron chains to a tree somewhere deep in the forest where no one could possibly hear his screams as she slowly tortures him.

That's what he deserved for meddling in Berk's affairs three days ago. Only the next morning, after spending a night in the Great Hall with her intact family, did they get a glimpse of the extent of the Night Fury's interference. Most of their catapults, their one main defense against the dragon scourge, were destroyed; remnants of them scattered the fields and streets of the village. The chained nets used to hold down the beasts were in pieces. Normal fire attacks didn't do any damage to them; but the Night Fury's blasts were strong enough to break links in them, allowing the incapacitated dragons to use their brute strength to rip the remaining net apart. But the last strike was the look of fear on the faces of Vikings who were in close proximity to the Night Fury's air dives and blasts. Now, they had been fighting dragons for hundreds of years - three hundred years and eight generations to be exact - but in that time, had they been scared of the beasts? Maybe a few odd ones in the first generation. Apart from that, no Viking had an ounce of fear when staring down a five ton fire-breathing dragon. Not for the last eight generations.

But last night changed all of that.

She had not seen fear on so many of her fellow villagers' faces. And it was all caused by that Jormung and his Night Fury.

What other reaction should they have? The Night Fury was _the_ most deadly dragon ever to roam the skies. There was no record of it. Neither her, nor her village, have ever heard of someone ever surviving an encounter with a Night Fury. And she suspected that if the Jormung wasn't its rider, it would have mauled all of them back on Changewing Isle without hesitation. All it did that night was break up the fights between Viking and dragon, allowing those beasts to fly off and live another day instead of their warriors putting them down once and for all.

That Jormung wasn't there to see the look on their Chief's face once the dragons had left. "It was the Jormung you captured, wasn't it?" He had asked her in the Great Hall. With the common occurrence of dragon attacks, most, if not all of Berk's wooden huts, would at some point be set on fire. As a result, past and current Chiefs assigned each family a large chest which would store extra bed sheets, blankets, and clothes, which would be kept within the Great Hall's many storerooms and empty corridors. This idea allowed the families of burnt down homes to stay in decent comfort within the Great Hall once a new hut was built.

Thankfully, if there was one thing Vikings were efficient in constructing, it was homes. Which was why almost every hut in Berk looked brand new.

"Yes it was, Chief."

"And now it appears the Jormung has set its eyes on terrorizing Berk with that infernal demon beast of his." They were in the Great Hall, helping others get settled down for a few days, just until the reconstruction of their homes would be completed.

"I'm sorry, Chief." She averted her gaze. "If I had the resolve to end that Jormung's life I-"

"Don't Astrid." He cut her off, halting them in their tracks and facing her. "Don't ever blame yourself for situations you aren't in control of. If it wasn't for that second Jormung and Dagur interfering, we wouldn't be in this situation. You did everything you could there, and I know you go above and beyond when protecting this village. Berk couldn't be in safer hands." He smiled, getting the same reaction out of her.

"Thank you, Chief."

"No problem, Astrid. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go oversee the plans for reconstructing the homes and bolstering our defenses. That Night Fury really did a number on our weapons." He turned to leave. "Oh, and before I forget. Please. Don't hesitate to ask me for help. You, or your parents. I haven't the faintest idea what you all are going through right now." He glanced to her family, who were all huddled around Brenna. Astrid followed his gaze, seeing her mother clutching Brenna to her chest and weeping; her father, his arm in a sling and completely bandaged up with cuts and scrapes here and there on his face.

"Thank you, sir. And don't worry. I'll come to you if we're in desperate need of anything." He nodded, and marched off to his duties. Guess there really was no rest for a Chief when your village was under constant attack by dragons, and the threat of attack from rogue tribes. She turned back to her family, looking at Brenna, and remembering their conversation when she found her the previous night.

 _"The one with lizard eyes?"_

 _"Yeah. He said he friends with you." Her little arm wiped away a few tears running down her cheek. Astrid couldn't believe it. She looked around them, hoping no one else heard what her baby sister said. Luckily it appeared no one did. Ruffnut was preoccupied with directing the fire teams. And she was a good distance away. But even so, she was her friend. She knew Ruff would confront her privately if she did overhear it._

 _Astrid turned back to her sister, cupping her cheek and slowly raising her face to meet her eyes. "I'm so glad you're safe!" She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And I'm_ glad _he saved you. But listen to me Brenna, you have to keep him a secret okay? Not even mama and papa can know about him."_

 _"Why? He saved me!"_

 _"I know Brenna, I know. Do you trust me?"_

 _"Yes big sissy." Astrid smiled._

 _"Then promise me, Brenna." She looked right into sister's eyes, "_ No one _can know about him okay? No one can know about Hiccup."_

She could tell her sister wanted to argue about it. Instead, she promised she'd explain later about why she couldn't tell anyone about the Jormung. It was mostly for her own protection. If the Chief got wind of it, he'd spend a good portion of time interrogating Brenna; which she didn't want to put her sister through.

Which was why she alone was currently marching to their last meeting spot.

She was going to rip that idiot a new one.

He might have saved her sister. But what if someone had seen him rescuing her? What if he had been captured in the process? And why did she care if he was captured? No other man has ever had her so riled up and confused about her feelings towards him.

Another thing she hated him for.

"I know you're here!" She called out. With the majority of villagers preoccupied with the reconstruction of huts, hers included, she felt comfortable venturing out on her own and searching for her 'friend', as he so lightly suggested they were. "Come on Jormung! I know you can hear me!" She waited again, searching the forest for the slightest twig snap, leaf rustle, and labored breathing with her trained hearing. "Would you show your-"

"Sheesh, alright already. I heard you the first time." She heard the sounds of rustling bushes and snapping branches to her left, where he exited out from a few bushes. She unsheathed her ax, letting it rest in front of her, both hands at ease on the handle. Although, her relaxed stance did nothing to stop his glance at the weapon. "I thought we were over this already. You can't kill me."

"I'm not here to kill you."

"So you just stand there with your ax out, just waiting for your friends, I'm taking? And you call us weird."

She rolled her eyes. "It's a habit. I never go anywhere without this." She holstered the ax on her back.

"Why are you even here? You made it pretty clear that you were done meeting with me."

Right. Her reason for hiking all this way through the thick forest when she technically should be helping around the village. She breathed a long, hard sigh. "I'm here to say...thank you." She cast her eyes away and mumbled the last part. When she met his eyes, she immediately regretted it. He was smirking. _Smirking_. She decided then and there that she never wanted to see that expression on his face again.

"What was that?" He was making her repeat herself.

"I'm sorry. I thought a Jormung's senses were a hundred times more sensitive than a normal human's like me?"

"Wow. You were actually listening to me while I was talking? There's hope for you yet."

"Look. I know our last meeting wasn't so chummy-"

"Chummy's an understatement."

"And I may have not been _completely_ willing to hear you out - but I had good reason not to."

"And why is that? Hm? Because dragons are mindless killing beasts without a soul?" She definitely felt her eye twitch at his attitude towards dragons. He may have grown with dragons all his life, but that certainly meant he must have seen the wild side of those beasts at some point in his young life.

"Are you forgetting that those beasts nearly killed my sister? And I would have put at least a few of them out of their misery if not for you?"

"If not for me...that's hilarious. If it wasn't for me, Berk would have a few dead villagers on its hands, not that any of you cared anyway. It's fight and die in the name of glory, or ancestors, or love or whatever else you lot choose to raise your weapons to. Isn't it? How many Vikings died?"

"What?"

"How many Vikings died in the raid I _interfered_ in? How many?" He waited. She thought back to the night of the raid, the events that took place after the dragons had departed Berk. She had carried Brenna to the Great Hall where the majority of the injured were gathered. Apart from burns, bite marks, broken bones and bruises - nothing out of the ordinary on a given raid - there were no covered bodies. No family curled over their father, mother, son, daughter, uncle; weeping their hearts out. And she had most certainly not witnessed any funeral in the past three days.

"None." She answered.

"None." He echoed. "How many Vikings died in the raid before the one three days ago?" That she didn't need time to think.

"Three."

"And the one before that?"

"Two."

"So you're telling me there have always been casualties during these raids, hm?" She nodded in response. "Then shouldn't you be thankful that no one had to lay any loved one to rest this time? In the raid I interfered in?"

"Okay, but that was just one night. Are you just going to keep butting in every single raid that takes place from now on? Because Berk knows what you are- My _Chief_ knows what you are. They know the dragon you ride - which mind you, Berk hasn't seen in the past two hundred years - and I can guarantee you that eventually, Berk will concentrate all its efforts on capturing you. Dead. Or Alive."

"Then you would've started a battle you already lost." He frowned. "No one has ever been able to capture me while I'm on Toothless."

"Key word is yet. Don't underestimate Berk. That's what got you in this mess in the first place. Getting captured by me." She smirked. Despite her disapproval at the misconceptions of her being spread around the Archipelago and in further, more traditional Viking tribes closer to the mainland, Snotlout did mention that her success of capturing a Jormung didn't go unnoticed. Guess she really had to thank Eret for something after all. She suspected that he was the source of that story; while making sure to paint as much of himself in the canvas as possible.

"In my defense I was handicapped." The look Astrid gave him was nothing short of disbelief, confusion and believe it or not, offense.

"You're. A. _Jormung_." She emphasized each word. "You're physically stronger than me. You're senses are more aware than mine. You had a bloody _Night Fury_! By Thor's Hammer, taking me and the trappers on should have been _easy_ for you!"

"It should have been easy, yes... _IF_ I had proper weapon and hand-to-hand combat training and was ruthless like Ripper." He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. He still wondered why the blonde in front of him was staring at him as if he'd sprouted wings and a tail.

"You had a _flaming_ sword!"

"I'm a smith by profession. I can forge weapons but I never concentrated my efforts in learning how to fight with them."

"You have got to be kidding me." She smacked her forehead in realization. "Are you telling me, that you, a Jormung, who are supposed to be some of the most fierce and deadly warriors on the battlefield as told in the legends, don't know how to fight?"

"Ehh...you're making it sound more worse than it is." He shrugged his shoulders. He recoiled in brief shock when she grabbed her head with both hands, hands nearly threatening the roots of her hair, and suppressed a rather loud yell. "Is something the matter?" This time he nearly took off running at the death glare she gave him.

"I believed I had bested a Jormung in battle. Even though I was wondering why it was rather easy to take you down. But now it all makes sense. You can't fight. Ugh!"

"Still not getting the point here." His initial shock at her worrisome anger wearing out.

"You can't fight!" She faced him.

"Yes you already establish-"

"No! I didn't get the fight I wanted! I wanted the challenge! I wanted a fight! I thought I'd be testing my blade against, up until that point, a _legendary_ fighter! That's the entire reason I agreed to join those dragon trappers to find you! Only to find out weeks later that my greatest accomplishment is a hoax!"

"Vikings really like to give everything the hatchet, huh?" He was ecstatic that they were finally having a decent conversation. Not so much his non-existent combat skills being the topic of said conversation. "I'm sorry I disappointed you. Really I am. But now you know why there were rumours on why one Jormung always kept escaping instead of fighting."

After coming down from her realization, she took pause to hear his words; instead of reacting, she gauged his expression, finally noting the dejected look in his...dragon eyes. "So, what do you want from me?" She figured she was the reason he didn't leave. Despite her warnings. The Jormung looked up at her, a brief flash of promise in his eyes.

"It's not like you'd agree to it."

"You're right. I wouldn't. Not after what you did that night." He was about to argue with her again, but she cut him off, "You might have prevented a few deaths, but you destroyed our defenses! Not damaged. Destroyed. What are we going to do when the dragons come again? What do we do if another tribe decides to attack us in the next few days? Did that ever cross your mind during your little hero phase?"

No. He hadn't. He didn't think of that. He was only concerned with keeping casualties to a minimum for both sides. But in the process, he had painted the Vikings as the enemy in the matter, dealing the greatest damage to their only defenses.

"And let's not forget that you said I was your friend! I know you did that to soothe my sister, but did you ever stop to think what would have happened if someone overheard her speaking to me about you? Not only would you have put her and I under our Chief's suspicions, it would have brought an even greater shame on family to be even be associated with a dragon-lover."

"Even if it meant I risked my life to save your kin?" He looked at her from underneath his bangs.

"You're missing the bigger picture. You put yourself at risk of getting caught, along with my sister. She might be a child, but she'd still be interrogated by the Chief and the Council about you. Could you imagine the sort of questions they'd ask her, and believe me when I say most of them are not the patient type."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think of that. As you know my Viking relations are non-existent. Which is why I'd like to propose a deal." This was it. If she didn't accept his proposal, he'd have no choice but to leave.

"I'm listening."

"I would like you to teach me about Viking customs, and train me to fight...And in return, I'll teach you everything I know about dragons."

She wasn't expecting that. Teach him Viking customs and training him to fight? And what business did she have learning about dragons. She hated the damned beasts.

"Please, Astrid." He looked at her with desperate eyes. "I have no home to go back to. The only other Jormung in existence despises me. I'm constantly on the run for my life with no fighting capability whatsoever. I dread the day that Toothless gets captured and I'm the only one left to save him." He took the plunge and closed the distance between them, until only two steps separated them. Both knew she could attack him if she felt like it, but he was taking the risk to put his trust in her. "Even though you were the one to capture me, you were the only one who's treated me like a living being. You saved me and the rest of the men on that ship, so I have good reason to always believe you'll make the right choice in tough situations. But also, you're the only one willing to hear me out. You said you really hate dragons, but I can show you their other side. The side you don't see when both of you are at sword and teeth's edge. Please, Astrid."

She didn't like it. She didn't like the idea of being associated with him in the event someone stumbled upon him. But then again, he had experience hiding. Until he got comfortable. She supposed she could train him. Survival skills and combat skills. Given his underwhelming performance during their first encounter, of course he'd want to improve on that. Then again, she did owe him. He saved her sister after all. And perhaps she could use his knowledge of dragons to help Berk. All she had to do was make sure no one would know of her extra-curricular activities with him.

She just hoped her decision wouldn't come back to haunt her, and raised out her right hand out.

"Alright. I'll help you."

000

It had been nearly two weeks since he parted ways with Hiccup for a second time. Ripper didn't waste any time returning to his home to resume his on-the-run life away from all manners of Viking. And for a while, he was at ease. His routine would consist of sparring with Bladewing in the mornings, experiment with aerial tactics and maneuvers, capped off with a good old evening of fishing. The only times he would ever venture out to settlements was to steal furs and leather for warmth and clothing, food for variety - fish and boar everyday did get boring - and last but not least...alcohol. Usually a few barrels of ale and mead. He would swipe a wine barrel once in a while if he was feeling particularly fancy. And it wasn't like anyone could catch him. He had mastered the skill of slipping into towns, houses and storage houses unnoticed; even in the bright of day.

Life was good.

Until dragon hunters started showing up, their ships' hulls filled to the brim with remnants of dragons - meat, bones, skin, scales, claws and trophies.

He had been familiar enough with the area to know this wasn't dragon hunter territory. It couldn't have been a coincidence that dragon hunters suddenly showed up after his run in with the Berserker Chief. And his suspicions were confirmed one day during one of his strolls in the village of a neighbouring island. Pinned to a notice board in the centre of the market by a dagger, was a parchment that detailed rewards for any kind of dragon - dead. Signed by the Berserker Chief.

He was livid. The sight of a dead dragon always stirred horrible memories. However, he always moved on, lest he draw attention to himself.

That was until hunters rowed ashore one night on _his_ island in the dead of night.

At first the hunters were excited about a new haul of dragons. Until they encountered him. Dragons were one thing, but capturing a Jormung would settle them for life. They held up the sheet that detailed the reward for capturing a Jormung. It was the last thing they ever did.

Ripper and Bladewing slaughtered those who roamed the island, while Frostbite sunk the hunter ship that had anchored a distance away from the island. Ripper concluded that Dagur wouldn't give up so easily. The bounties for dragons and his head indicated that. However, he assumed that the Berserker wouldn't dare come after him if he held something, or someone, the Berserker Chief loved.

 _"Are you sure this is a good idea?"_

"Of course! We steal something important to him and he wouldn't dare come close to us again."

 _"Are you even sure he cares about anyone at all?"_

"All Vikings have something, or someone, they care about, Bladewing. We just have to find out what."


	10. Chapter 10

_000_

"Can you believe it, bud? Today's the day!" Toothless grumbled at the new-found energy his rider seemed to have woken up with this very early morning. Lifting a very tired eyelid, he noticed his rider pacing around their camp. He also made note that the sun hadn't even grazed the tree tops yet; only a dark orange-ish, red tint highlighting the far end of the sky in the east. "I'm finally learning how to fight!"

 _"Great...it's not like you were ditching your combat and weapons classes back in the village."_ The Night Fury let out a large yawn, turning his head to face Hiccup.

"Well that was different and you know it. I had a lot more on my plate back then."

 _"Sure."_ Toothless rolled his eyes, smirking at him. _"It has nothing to do with the female Viking who's going to train you. I swear I can pick up your musk a mile away when she's around you."_

"That has nothing to do with it!" Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, doing a poor job of hiding his blush.

 _"Keep telling yourself that."_ Toothless folded his wings over his head, ending the conversation and promptly going back to sleep.

Hiccup glanced back slowly, making sure there was no risk of him seeing the now dissipating blush. What was he talking about anyway? Did he really seem different when around her? But then again, what kind of man wouldn't? She was downright beautiful to behold, if he was being honest. He believed she could go blade-to-blade with Ripper, and there's no greater praise than that. And back on the trapper ship, she was almost willing to-

"Who am I kidding?" He chuckled. "She'd want nothing to do with a freak like me." He said to himself. He glanced up at the sky, noticing it was almost sunrise, decided to make his way to their agreed location meeting.

 _000_

Astrid trudged along to her secluded spot in the forest. A place where she could just train to her heart's content, a quiet place if she needed to think, and at one time, a refuge after long arguments with her parents and baby siblings when she was in her early teens. Even to this day, not her parents, nor her siblings, knew of this place. And the first _person_ she was bringing into her sanctuary was a Jormung. And not just any Jormung, but one of the last two in existence. She really did wonder if Loki himself was orchestrating her life along one of the many, infinite branches of Yggdrasil.

Because it really did seem she was taking advantage of her parents' trust in her and lying to her entire family on the pretext that she was heading out to train on a variety of new moves, and certainly not training a mutual enemy of the Archipelago. But then again, would they understand? She didn't even understand herself completely for not turning the Jormung in. Instead, training him in the art of combat herself while he teaches her the 'truth' about dragons. Her parents, and Berk, would only see this as betrayal not only to the village, but their entire lineage and history. And there would be no saving face, not _if_ , but _when_ , the true purpose of her hikes into the forest would be discovered. And the Hofferson name would come crashing back down all over again. Permanently, this time. And she wouldn't be able to live with herself for making her parents relive their Uncle Finn situation, coupled with the scrutiny siblings will face.

In fact, why did she agree to learn about dragons from a Jormung of all people. She possessed all she needed to know about the beasts from three hundred years of proud, brave and tough history. She knew most dragons weaknesses, proving invaluable during a raid. And to be honest, what much was else was needed to know? It's not like the Jormung have ever graced themselves onto Viking culture and teach their ways. They just stayed holed up in their little valley, cut off from the rest of the world and looked down upon everyone else. The Jormung, with their superior physical attributes thanks in part due to the blood they shared with the beasts, not only did nothing to help Vikings against the dragon scourge but interfered in it as well.

But she did shake with him that she'd train him. And despite her apprehensions about the deal, a Hofferson never goes back on her word. Especially her.

As she neared her training spot, she could already hear the grunts and steps of her student. Slowing her pace to a crawl, she silently made her way an opening between the trees to watch his movements. If she was going to train him, then she might as well gauge his initial tendencies and patterns when fighting with a weapon. He was using the sword he used against her, not too long ago, but not engulfed in flames this time. And she frowned at the sight. His movements weren't fluid at all. They were lethargic, uncoordinated, and downright embarrassing. There was no point in watching further.

"I really do have my work cut out." She almost chuckled as his posture went rigid and slowly turned to face her. "It's a miracle you're still alive."

"How long were you watching?"

"Long enough to know that my baby sister can clobber you easily."

He winced. "That bad, huh?"

"'Bad' doesn't even come close to describing what you were just doing." She dropped her ax on the makeshift workbench as she walked towards him.

"I'll need a lot of work, huh?"

"And then some. Not only do I have to train you on your weapons, it turns out I'll have to train your senses too."

"What?"

"How did you not notice me as I approached this place?"

"I didn't hear you-"

"Bullshit, you didn't hear me. I may not know that other Jormung, nor would I want to, but I suspect he would have heard me from a mile away and thought of fifty different ways to incapacitate me as soon as I'm in sight." She was done with his excuses. She may not understand the Jormung's affinity to dragons, despite their blood, but as a warrior herself, she respected the Hel out of their tenacity in battle from the tales she's heard from far and wide. So Thor help her if this Jormung didn't see the potential in his abilities like she did. "So why didn't you hear me?"

She could almost see the cogs turning in his head. Opening and closing his mouth before he could get a reply out. "The sooner you tell me the truth, the faster I can train you. And no bullshitting me this time." She crossed her arms over her chest and gazed at him. Hiccup didn't like that gaze. It was the gaze a disappointed mother would shoot her children. Albeit, with annoyance tied in there as well.

"I didn't hear you because I was focused on my technique. Or, lack thereof." He said begrudgingly.

"Just like when I first met you." Was her reply.

"Yeah." He grimaced. He can add that to the ever growing 'not-my-proudest-moment' list.

"Just as I figured. I don't just have to train you how to fight. I have to train you to master your own senses too."

"We only agreed upon-"

"We agreed for me to train you to fight, I know. But you'll need to get a grip of your senses before I actually start training you or else we won't get anywhere."

"You know, a regular Viking training a Jormung has never happened."

She rolled her eyes. "That's because you refused to listen to your trainer in the past. And besides, I'm up for the challenge."

"Oh, is that so?" He raised an eyebrow at her confidence.

"Everyone I've ever trained has always come out better, stronger, faster and more mentally tough than they were before. And with the level you're at, it won't be much trouble."

"I still don't believe you."

"Okay then..." She placed some distance between herself and him, away from the equipment. "Fight me." She beckoned him to attack.

"Okay..." He put away his sword.

"Uh-uh. _With_ your sword." He gaped at her.

"And what will you fight with?"

"These." She put her hands up in a fighting stance.

"Then I'm not going to attack. You could get hurt and I wouldn't be able to live my- WHOA!" He had been too preoccupied with worrying about _her_ safety that he forgot he was leaving himself wide open. She charged him and made a swipe for his face but he ducked and retreated back a step. "What are you doing?!" He yelled, again, dodging another swing of her fist. But she didn't answer. She only kept running at him. Was she really forcing him to use his weapon? And for what purpose? If he made any good connection with any part of her, his blade would run clean through her. She was again within striking distance and kicked him square in the stomach, sending him sliding back a few feet, but not keeling over. He grabbed his stomach and tried to settle his head, taking in deep breaths to replace the ones that had been kicked out of him.

"Come on Jormung! Fight me!" She yelled and charged again. This time though, he righted himself up and raised his sword for a critical blow. But the moment he brought it down, she dropped down low and kicked out his feet. With his balance gone, he fell flat on his back with loud thud and a frustrated groan after. Astrid placed her boot on his chest and smirked down at him victoriously. "That was pathetic."

"Ha-ha. Point taken." He reached out a hand for her, but she simply turned around and walked away back to the workbench. Hiccup grumbled under his breath, bracing the ground with his left hand and standing up.

"Before we start on your senses, we have to work on your stance." She brought him a wooden sword. "Your movements are too mechanical...stiff...unnatural-" Hiccup grabbed the sword from her hands, mild annoyance on his face. "-And I think I know why." She finished, after she noticed him grab the sword with his left hand and place it in his right.

"And what is it?"

"You're a lefty. Switch the sword to your left hand and practice the same techniques you were doing before I arrived." She took a few steps back and watched him do just as she said. She smiled when the realization hit his own face. "Much easier, isn't it?"

"Yeah. _Way_ easier!" He smiled as he continued his slashing at the air and even twirling the blade in his hand. "I don't know why I've never tried this in the past."

"I'm wondering that myself." Hiccup halted his movements and turned his attention to her. "If you made that sword, how did _you_ not realize you're lefty? I mean it's not that complicated to know what side is your dominant side."

"It's just that when they gave me a sword, the guy thrust into my right hand. And seeing that everyone in my class used their right hands, I assumed I was supposed to wield weapons with my right hand." He grinned sheepishly at her unamused stare. Actually, when he said it out loud, he did sound pretty stupid.

"Wow." Was her only response.

"B-but hey! I've made progress! Right?" He gestured to the sword in his hands and attempted more strikes like a little kid who's just learned a new trick. It might have been amusing, if he weren't the same age as her.

"Sure, that's progress. Progress you should have made when you were four." His deadpan expression said it all to her insult. She shook her head. "It's no good continuing today. Spend the rest of today practicing your technique with that hand now. We'll carry on tomorrow." She turned to gather her things. Hiccup looked down at his hands in embarrassment. He knew he lacked certain fighting skills but he never realized how unprepared he was for the real situation. By Jormungandr, he was lucky he had Toothless around otherwise he wouldn't have survived for so long. However, maybe he could get her to show him a few more tricks while he was teaching her about dragons.

She had started to leave when he jumped in front of her, hands up, urging her to stay. "Wait! I haven't showed you what dragons are really like yet." He beamed, which wasn't returned by her.

"I don't have the time-"

"Come on! The least you can do is let me introduce you to my dragon. He's a lot more friendly once you get to know him." He started along the direction he came. He turned back and could see her debating with herself about it, tapping her foot.

"Can you guarantee it won't attack me?"

"Yes. _He_ won't attack you."

"Mhm...alright then." She shrugged her shoulders as she unsheathed her ax. Which Hiccup promptly held the top blade and lowered it between them so he could look at her directly without the head-cleaving weapon in his sight, but safely in his grip.

"No weapons."

"But you just said-"

"He won't attack you as long as you don't have any weapons. This big thing-" He pulled it up, "-is a huge no." He could see she was about to argue further but he held his hand up to stop her. "The middle ground is that you can bring your weapon, but it will remain sheathed on your back for the duration of the interaction. Deal?"

"And your dragon won't attack me if I don't do anything with my ax?"

"He'll keep an eye on you...but he won't do anything to you as long as you're just there observing."

Astrid let out a puff of hair, blowing a few bangs away from her eye as she contemplated what he said. It didn't feel right to not attack a dragon when there is a one hundred percent chance of it attacking you. And she didn't have a good start with his dragon either. Not after trying to cleave his head back on Changewing Isle. She suspected it already had prior conclusions of her and would take her out on the spot for attacking its rider. But she did agree to learn about dragons from him. And if she was being honest, he was the only one who could stop the dragon from taking her out if it wanted to.

"Alright. Lead the way."


	11. Chapter 11

_000_

"Where are you taking me?"

"You mean you haven't been to this part of your island?"

"I've passed by it sometimes. I recognize some of the area." They had been walking for a while now. Hiccup deduced that her own training spot was on the far west side of the island while the Cove was towards the east. He's a bit surprised he didn't notice the distance himself when hiked to the location earlier. "Yeah, see that?" She pointed to a clump of trees to their right which had a multitude of old scars along the trunks. "I used to practice here quite a lot during dragon training."

"Dragon training?" Hiccup gazed questionably at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Not the kind you're going to show me. The dragon training I learned detailed how to _take down_ a dragon. You know? Go for its weak spots, tear off its wings so it can't get away, and finally slay the beast and mount its head in your trophy room, above the fireplace, or the arch above our houses."

"And you say we're monsters." Hiccup increased the distance between themselves, rightly unsure of whether this was a good idea. Astrid rolled her eyes again, this time at his antics.

"But hey, if your Night Fury doesn't stare at me with that killer look in its eye, I won't try and kill it."

"Oh that's reassuring. No, really. It is. Because the last thing I need is for a dragon to look at you the wrong way and decide if it gets to live or die." He heard her chuckle. The sound was almost soothing. Like an inviting evening breeze after a hot midsummer's day. But he could detect the condescending reason behind it.

"You'll never be able to understand, Hiccup. The hardships we and our ancestors had to face because of those dragons." He didn't reply. There was no point arguing with her about that. She was right. He wouldn't understand about their struggles. _Yet_. But in time, with more of their meetings and interactions, he was sure she'd open up more to him. After all, she used his name. That's always a sign that things will work out.

"We're nearly there." He said as they climbed up to the ridge overlooking the Cove. "You'll want to stay up here. Just until I fill Toothless in on what's happening."

"Toothless?"

"My best friend. The Night Fury who tried to blow your head off back on Changewing Isle." Hiccup smiled as he slid down, leaving Astrid to ponder how she should behave for the upcoming confrontation. However, Astrid had other things in mind. While Hiccup reached the bottom and marched on over to the sleeping, black lump on the flat stone at the far end of the pond, she analyzed her surroundings. Looking for possible areas of cover and escape in case things got dicey. Maybe she could use his tent for cover. If they were best friends, the dragon wouldn't dare destroy his living arrangements. Apart from that though, this location was well hidden. The reason she never came across this place was because of the dense treeline blocking sight of the ridge of it. It was safe to assume no one would be able to find this place unless they were really looking for it. So she didn't have to worry about anyone from Berk running into him here. She watched him reach the dragon, which appeared to be displeased with the interruption. She saw the dragon's head bobbing up and down, almost as if it and Hiccup were having an actual discussion. Whatever was taking place down there seemed to be getting tense as she noticed the dragon, if dragons could have any facial expressions at all, looked surprised. And that surprise immediately gave way to annoyance. Which was the exact moment it looked in her direction and made eye contact with her.

She wasn't going to lie. She was a bit scared when she chased that Whispering Death from the village a few years ago. But that didn't even come close to the growing uncertainty of what to do when a _Night Fury_ was burning a hole through your soul. Her instincts screamed to reach for her ax. And she followed through, despite seeing the menacing growl from the dragon below.

"Astrid! You promised not to use your weapon!" Hiccup yelled. He wasn't even looking at her.

"How did you-"

"Cause I know that look on Toothless' face. Look, just put the ax away and come down here."

"No!" She could hear him groan.

"Astrid. As long as you put the ax away, Toothless won't _do_ anything at all. And if he does, I'll put myself in between the two of you." She raised an eyebrow at that. "He wouldn't dare go through me." She watched the dragon growl at him and Hiccup sent him an annoyed glare and...it was smirking at him, clearly thinking otherwise. Yeah, there was no way she going to trust Hiccup with her life. "Just trust me, Astrid. Believe me when I say I won't let him hurt you. But you ought to know that that truce goes both ways."

She really shouldn't be doing this. Perhaps this is where that famous 'curiosity killed the cat' proverb comes from. She was a Viking for Thor's sake. They always bludgeoned first and asked questions later. Well, not really. It pretty much stopped at bludgeoning. Perhaps she should have done that to him and she wouldn't be in this situation facing down an annoyed Night Fury. She could always turn tail and run but-

"Why the fuck am I thinking about running?" She whispered to herself. She was a Hofferson. If this thing goes south she was gonna do her damn best to take those two with her. She sheathed her ax on her back. "Alright! I'm coming down!" She yelled, as she slid down the slope. Brushing off dirt from her rear and skirt as she stood up, Hiccup was there to greet her and beckoned her to come with him.

"Now, he was a little pissed at this situation but he's agreed to be the test subject for all dragon related questions you have." He said, but she wasn't listening. She was still having her stare contest with the dragon. "Okay, since we all got off on the wrong foot on Changewing Isle, let's start over. Astrid, Toothless. Toothless...Astrid." The two still didn't break eye contact. "Okay, Astrid. Do you have any questions? You must be wondering why he isn't attacking you, right?"

"Is it because you're in front of me?"

"Yes and no. It's also because you haven't unsheathed your ax, so he doesn't perceive you as a threat." Hiccup felt an annoyed puff of air behind him. He ignored it for the moment. After all, Toothless could be temperamental. "That's unless you give him a reason to. Although he would have preferred if you didn't have it on you."

"Is it because he knows I could kill him with it?"

"If that's what you keep telling yourself to help sleep better at night, sure.

"So, why Toothless? Of all the names to give the embodiment of lightning and death itself, you name it Toothless."

"Him."

"What?"

"Toothless is a 'he', Astrid. How would you feel if I started calling you 'it' instead 'she' or 'her'? I know it's hard to believe but dragons do have feelings."

She sighed. "Okay." She drawled out. "Why give _him_ a name like Toothless?"

"Now we're getting somewhere. Well, it's because Night Furies have retractable teeth. Show her bud." The Night Fury let out a dramatic huff and looked away. Pointedly determined not to cooperate. "Oh come on! We were just starting to make progress?"

 _"No way. I don't trust her."_

"You're showing her your teeth. Not letting her fly on you."

"And why would I want to fly on that flying death trap?"

 _"Death trap?!"_

"Okay, let's just calm down." Hiccup stood in between the two, at the ready in case things got dicey. Which with a Night Fury and hot tempered Viking, was bound to happen. "You know, haven't you been thinking that your prior assumptions that dragons attack on sight have been slightly misguided?" What he said was true. But she'd sooner wait for Loki to take an honest path in life than admit that fact now.

"Maybe because you're here? That's probably what's keeping _him_ at bay."

"And I thought Night Furies were stubborn." Hiccup mumbled, but just loud enough to remind how unreasonable Astrid was being right now. She didn't find that comment amusing though, and was about to voice her opinion before he interrupted her again. "Okay! Forget the teeth. How about we start with trust? The both of you." He made an emphasis on the word 'both' as he looked between the two of them multiple times. Both dragon and Viking were staring daggers at each other. It was almost amusing. But then Hiccup remembered Astrid's words did have a bit of truth to it. Toothless had the same level of animosity towards her as she did for him. The outcome of what would happen if he left them alone _now_ would not be pretty for anyone.

"Come on Toothless. Just this once. I'll put in an extra basket of cod if you do it?" If reasoning failed, there was always food to bargain with.

 _"Fine."_ Toothless grumbled. He wasn't one to pass up an extra basket of fish.

"Trust with what?" Astrid asked. She watched Hiccup walk towards his tent, opening up a basket and pulling out a cod.

"Food." He tossed it to Astrid who was taken by surprise, fumbling when the slippery fish fell out of her hands and onto the ground in front of her. "You're going to feed that to Toothless, and don't worry, he won't bite your hands off." He spoke as she picked the fish up.

"Why fish? I thought dragons ate bigger game, like the yak they steal from us."

"Most dragons only eat fish. There are a few who go after the occasional yak or boar. Truth be told, I was quite surprised when I saw the dragons raiding your farms and carrying off your livestock. I can do a bit of investigating the next time a raid comes around? If you'd like me to, that is."

"You won't be hearing any requests from me." She quipped as she stood in front of Toothless, who was looking down at her with a scrutinizing stare. "So what do I do?"

"Just hold the fish out and he'll reach for it."

"And you're _sure_ he won't take my hands off with it?" She had a right to be skeptical after all. He should count his lucky gods that she's gone along with him this far. She didn't hear him respond as the dragon in front of her lowered his head in front of hers, eyes slowly shifting from slits to rounding pupils. He sniffed the fish and opened his mouth. "Huh?" The first thing she noticed were the pink, _toothless_ gums. She clearly remembered from all their, limited interactions, he had teeth. Teeth he tried to kill her with. Was she imagining it all or-

Those very same teeth popped out right before he snatched the fish out of her hands into his mouth before it disappeared down his gullet. The Night Fury simply looked at her, a mischievous gleam in its eyes as he licked his lips. She pulled her hands up to her chest, grasping them as she stared with wide eyes, uncertain of what he'd plan to do next.

"See? You still have both your hands. And you were worried." Hiccup chuckled as he walked to his dragon and started petting him.

She had to admit. That was exhilarating. Not in the dragon-killing kind but a more different, pleasant kind. She suppressed the urge to curve her lips into a smile. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction that _maybe_ he did have a point about dragons after all.

"Why did he hide his teeth? Because that's a very misleading stunt he just pulled."

"Well he doesn't really get the chance to surprise people with that, so you should feel special. You're the second person he's done that to."

"Who was the first?"

"Yours truly." Of course it was going to be him. Why did she even ask?

"So where do we go from here?" She noticed the Night Fury begin to circle them, doing a round before stopping at her back and edging closer to sniff her. When she turned to make sure he didn't get too close, she felt a weight disappear off her back. He didn't... She reached back for her ax only to confirm her suspicions. She should have suspected something was up when the dragon was circling her. "What do you think you're doing?!" She reeled back on him, just catching him tossing her ax away from them.

"Relax, he just wants to get to know you a little bit more. Just stay calm and talk to me if it'll take your mind off a dragon at your back." He even had the gall to chuckle as he said it, clearly taking pleasure in her discomfort.

"And smelling me is going to improve our camaraderie?" She said, feeling the large of puffs of air all over her back. Even his nudges at her braid. The scrutiny wasn't so bad until her nudged her rear, getting a slight shriek from her and an embarrassed look on Hiccup.

 _"Well she's not in heat, if you were wondering."_

"I would know Toothless. I'd be able to smell it." He inwardly cringed as he the words left his mouth. Astrid slowly turned her head to him, cheeks becoming redder by the second. He couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment, rage or a mixture of both, and suddenly, he was extremely thankful for taking her ax and tossing it away. However, his dragon instincts were warning him to turn tail and run.

"You'd be able to smell _what_ exactly?" She hissed, crossing her arms and glaring at him. He didn't know why but it felt like Fafnir himself was staring through his soul.

He quickly composed himself. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Anyway, does she pass your approval, Toothless?"

 _"Yeah. For now."_ He walked back to his rider's side, completely oblivious to the situation.

Hiccup forced a few coughs through, as he glanced at Astrid, who still had her glare directed at him. "Well good news is that Toothless accepts you. So you'll be able to carry your weapons on you around him in the foreseeable future." He sighed inwardly as Astrid lost the reddish tint in her cheeks and walked over to retrieve her ax.

"I'll ask again, where do we go from here?" She asked as she holstered her ax.

"Well, since I taught you about dragons today, why don't you teach me about your culture and history next time?"

"Okay." She turned to exit from the way she came, completely ignoring them as she did so, even though they trailed her with as she climbed up and disappeared from their view.

 _"Well, that went better than I expected."_

 _Few Days Later_

Heather walked through the streets of her village. Despite her people's warring tendencies, things were usually calm and festive in the village. Especially tonight. The night marked the two hundredth year anniversary of when their founding Chief first captured a Skrill. The streets were filled with lanterns and torches ablaze. Food stalls already in full swing, with barrels of mead being handed out left and right. Little children running by her in groups, some pretending to be dragons while the rest took the parts of brave Berserkers. Groups of men and women dancing, singing, swapping stories and speaking about conquers, whether it was a business, hunt or bed matter. She really did enjoy times like these. Everything was just...peaceful.

"Sister!" She chuckled when she reached the center of the village square, seeing her brother and his closest friends and advisers gathered around him.

"Dagur." She smiled bowed ever so slightly, earning groans from him, chuckling at how that annoyed him.

"Haven't I told you already? No formalities between us! Especially during celebrations!" He closed the distance between them, wrapping an arm around her and handing her a tankard.

"You know me, can't miss a chance to annoy you." She clanked tankards with him, downing it in one swig before he could even get his to his lips, earning laughs and cheers from the crowd.

"That's Heather for ya'. She could drink everyone here under the table!" One man yelled, followed by shouts of agreement, while others issued challenges.

"Come on Heather, it's a fun night! We've got a few dragon hunters here who've just unloaded a new shipment today! And man have they got news on the Jormung."

"Brother, not this again." She rolled her eyes. She could understand why her brother was seeking vengeance on the Jormung who sunk his fleet. But was it really smart sending hordes of dragon hunters after him? He wasn't the only one who heard the news. She heard them herself. How none ever returned alive. She was just worried that this would start to consume him, because she knew better than anyone how one-track minded her brother could get.

"I'll join you in a bit. I just have to make a stop by the house to get something for the children." She waved him goodbye, making her way through the crowd as Dagur returned to the table. Her house was the far east side of the village, away from the celebrations. Jostling through the crowds was no easy task either but she managed to turn off onto one of the less lit paths, glancing back behind her and smiling at the scene.

Only to bump into someone as she turned to continue on.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was-" The apology froze in her throat as she gazed up at the figure, who's hood barely covered his eyes from the angle she was at. She was right up against his chest after all.

And all she could see were the dragon eyes glittering against the lights from the main street behind her.


End file.
